Sudan’s electoral body to employ 60,000 workers to run April elections

March 20, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s National Elections Commission (NEC) said it will appoint 60,000 elections workers to run the electoral process scheduled in April.

NEC’s electoral register and technical committees’ official, al-Hadi Mohamed Ahmed, said that no complaints have been filed against candidates across the states, stressing there are no obstacles that could hinder the electoral process.

He pointed that 95% of the elections materials were delivered to 11,000 polling stations in the various states. He said that security committees will protect those tools.

Ahmed, who spoke in a talk show broadcasted by the public Radio Omdurman on Friday, stressed that 70% of the ballot papers have been printed, adding that strict measures were put in place to secure those papers.

He emphasised that political parties participating in the elections are monitoring the process of printing ballot papers. Also, the candidates’ representatives are allowed to count papers in the ballot boxes and register its serial numbers.

“Regional and international monitors will be granted access to polling stations”, he said.

Only the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and its allied political forces including the former rebel groups in Darfur will participate in the Elections. The opposition forces boycott the electoral process.

The Popular Congress Party which supports dialogue process also will not take part in the elections but its outgoings members of parliament (MPs) will run as independent candidate.

The NEC official demanded the candidates to stop their campaigns during the electoral silence period, underscoring that strict measures will be applied in this regard.

“There is no political campaigning during the electoral silence and all [candidates] must obey the law,” he added.

Ahmed further added there are seven polling stations for 105,000 registered voters abroad, stressing that NEC delegates have travelled abroad to follow up on the arrival of electoral materials which were sent by the diplomatic pouches.

The NCP rejected calls by Sudanese opposition to postpone the general elections scheduled for April until after the national dialogue and formation of a transitional government. Also, the ruling partyt insists that it is a constitutional requirement that must be met.

Last month, the opposition alliance of the National Consensus Forces (NCF) and the opposition Reform Now Movement (RNM) launched two separate campaigns for poll boycott.

(ST)