African Union sends pre-elections assessment team to Sudan
March 3, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has approved the deployment of a pre-election assessment mission to Sudan ahead of the country’s general elections scheduled for 13 April 2015.
It added the specific objectives include assessing the capacity and needs of the National Elections Commission (NEC) to determine the type of electoral assistance that the AUC should provide besides offering recommendations regarding the nature and scope of AU Election Observation Mission (AUEOM).
The statement pointed the mission is comprised of a staff member from the department of political affairs of the AU C to serve as mission coordinator besides four independent election experts.
The mission will hold consultations with various political and electoral stakeholders in Sudan from 1 to 10 March.
The mission, which arrived in Khartoum on Tuesday, discussed with the acting undersecretary of the Sudanese foreign ministry, Sirag al-Din Hamid, arrangements for the upcoming elections and the technical assistance that the AU should provide.
DUP TO SUMMONS THREE CANDIDATES
Meanwhile, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) led by Mohamed Osman al-Merghani, said its legal committee will summons three party candidates who withdrew from elections without notifying the party leadership.
The DUP secretary of organisational affairs, Osama Hasoun, told the pro-government Sudan Media Centre (SMC) website they are ready to actively participate in the elections, pointing to completion of their nominations in the Northern state, River Nile state, Khartoum state and Port Sudan state.
He added that two of their candidates have already won by acclamation in Kassala state.
Hasoun downplayed the complaint filed by a group of party leading figures against accepting the DUP leader’s son al-Hassan al-Mirghani as the representative of the party at the NEC without an official mandate, saying the complaint aimed at distracting party institutions from elections.
Last February, the faction of the DUP opposed to participating in the general elections, submitted a challenge to the country’s chief justice against a decision by the Electoral Appeals Court to dismiss a complaint lodged by them against the NEC.
NATIONAL PEOPLE’S ALLIANCE PULLS OUT OF ELECTIONS
In the same context, the chairman of the National People’s Alliance Party (NPAP), Osman Abu al-Magd, announced that all party candidates have withdrawn from the general elections at all levels.
He attributed the withdrawal decision to lack of funding, pointing their participation in the 2010 elections entailed large amounts of financial debts.
However, Abu al-Magd underscored that his party will remain part of the opposition forces within the national dialogue committee known as 7+7.
MEDIA NEUTRALITY
The head of the parliamentary subcommittee on information and tourism, Afaf Tawer, for her part, stressed that official media outlets will stay neutral towards all candidates.
She said that presidential candidates have not submitted their electoral programs to the official media except one candidate besides the candidate of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and incumbent president Omer Hassan al-Bashir.
Tawer expressed surprise that presidential candidates have not submitted their programs to the media, denying intentions to exclude any candidate from appearing in the national media.
She called on candidates to complain to the NEC information sector if they have grievances against any official media, stressing that official media stay at equal distance from all candidates.
On Sunday, presidential candidate, Mohamed Awad al-Baroudi, criticized the official state media, saying it doesn’t allow enough time for the candidates to present their programs and address the Sudanese people.
(ST)