2010 Elections | Official Thread

[chiefayic2]

SPLM hopeful of landslide win in elections says official

By Ngor Arol Garang

March 22, 2010 (RENK) — A senior member of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, the SPLM, Brigadier General Dok Jok Dok, who doubles as Upper Nile state chairman and deputy governor, expressed hope that his party will win the upcoming April elections.

Dok explained that the elections remove from SPLM the authority to appoint – as has been done for the past five years under the Interim Constitution — and empower the people to elect leaders and representatives of their choice to all institutions of governments.

However, he was quick to caution the electorate to vote wisely saying do not allow your vote to return you to sufferings and slavery that you have lived for decades. "Who of you wants return to internally camps in Khartoum and elsewhere where little attentions were paid?" he posed

He said that he was confident of victory for SPLM. "We in the SPLM particularly in the greater Upper Nile state are hopeful that our rural population will vote in our favor for a landslide victory in the April polls," Dok said

The deputy governor was speaking at the official rally launching SPLM’s campaign in his native county headquarters of Renk where he repeatedly asked citizens vote for Yasir Arman and Salva Kiir in the upcoming elections.

"You are already aware that elections are at the corner, just three weeks from now, and you have already seen many pictures of contestants for various positions including position of your commissioner, Deng Akueny, who is next to me here posted everywhere," he indicated.

"We brought you peace and current developmental projects such as schools and primary health care units now serviceable in some rural areas and we are determined to bring you more as peace means development," the official said.

"We are not people who promise people for elections interests… there are people campaigning now pledging a lot of things which they did not do in the past while they are the same people who have been in the power for decades," he said. He was referring to pledges made by President Bashir who recently visited the state and stayed for three days, visiting Nasir.

In his opening speech at the rally, Commissioner Deng Akueny said SPLM’s policy of both regional and national reconciliation has contributed to creating a society that is in harmony and at peace with itself.

He said to continue on this path, there is need to embrace the different cultures of the country adding that a divided community wastes valuable time in internal wrangles, which can only sap its strength and cause failure.

He also said his party will ensure implementation of agricultural projects such as rice production, aquaculture and grape cultivation. He however said food security cannot be achieved by government alone, but with the involvement of the private sector.

These projects and programmes will only succeed if their implementation is assured jointly by both government and private institutions. He noted that most of the development is in Khartoum and other regions are not government projects alone, but are privately owned projects only regulated by governments.

Earlier Deputy Governor Dok said Sudanese women — particularly those in the war affected regions – had been a great pillar in the struggle for liberation. "Our women have greatly contributed to all sorts of struggle for liberation, without them there would have been no peace today. They acted as logistics carrying our ammunitions on their heads as well as cooking for our soldiers the same time," recalled the SPLM brigadier.

He said therefore the movement will increase women’s share of posts from 25% to 30%. He asked all SPLM nominees and other officials to communicate this message to all people particularly those in the rural villages, emphasizing that women’s representation at the assemblies will this year increase if SPLM wins upcoming national elections.

He also added that SPLM will continue to ensure that the rights and interests of Sudanese women are realized calling Sudanese to promote culture of peace, reconciliation and national unity.

(ST)

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SPLM’s Yasir Arman denounces restrictions on his Darfur campaign

KHARTOUM (March 22, 2010) – SPLM candidate for the position of president of the republic Comrade Yassir Saeed Arman has strongly denounced restrictions placed on his elections campaign in Darfur, saying these prevented thousands from attending rallies across the region.


Cde Arman recently concluded a visit of Darfur, as part of his campaign to take the SPLM’s message of “Hope and Change” to the people of this war-ravaged region.

Darfur has been embroiled in conflict since 2003 when rebels took up arms, demanding greater political and economic autonomy for their region.

The conflict has left some 300,000 people dead, according to United Nations estimates (UN), and drove millions away from their homes, with many forced to live as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps all over Darfur.

Cde Arman told reporters on Saturday that security forces used heavy-handed tactics to prevent the bulk of the IDPs from attending his rallies in Darfur.

These included surrounding the camps with tanks, according to a statement released by the SPLM presidential candidate’s campaign team.

In 2005, Khartoum signed a peace deal with a faction of one of the many rebel groups operating in Darfur. Most of the groups, however, refused to sign on.

Cde Arman declared that only the SPLM can bring about a “just and comprehensive solution to the crisis in Darfur,” arguing that the National Congress Party (NCP) of incumbent President Omar El Bashir had “nothing new to offer” to resolve the conflict

(SPLMToday)

[chiefayic2]

Yasir launches campaign in South Sudan

JUBA (March 23, 2010) – SPLM candidate for the position of president of the republic Comrade Yasir Saeed Arman launched his election campaign in South Sudan on Tuesday by addressing thousands of supporters in Western Equatoria State.

Cde Arman, a leading member of the SPLM, arrived in Juba, capital of South Sudan, on Monday, after successful campaign rallies in northern Sudan, the latest being in the war-torn western region of Darfur and the Northern and River Nile States.

He held huge rallies in Yambio, the main town in Western Equatoria State, and Tombura.

Arman’s campaign in the South was expected to, at some point, cross roads with that of the SPLM leader and the party’s candidate for the position of president of the Government of South Sudan Comrade Salva Kiir Mayardit.

SPLM Secretary General Comrade Pagan Amum and member of the Political Bureau Comrade Deng Alor, among others, are accompanying Cde Arman on his campaign.

(SPLMToday)

[chiefayic2]

Kiir's campaign in Juba

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Kiir, Arman campaign in Bahr El Ghazal

Friday 26 March 2010

By Manyang Mayom

March 25, 2010 (RUMBEK) – The leadership of the SPLM campaigned in the states of Western and Northern Bahr El Ghazal, wrapping up a tour by storming Aweil town yesterday.


Yasir Arman speaks in Mapel

SPLM Chairman Salva Kiir Mayardit and members of SPLM leadership were scheduled to visit all five counties of Northern Bahr El Ghazal State. They held campaign rallies at Malek Alell, Aweil South County, and today in Aweil East and Aweil North.

Salva Kiir is expected to arrive to Rumbek on Friday in the evening at 5 p.m., a source told Sudan Tribune.

The turn-out in Aweil town was huge — such had not been seen since the signing of the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Among those present were GOSS President Salva Kiir Mayardit, his vice president Riek Machar Teny, Pagan Amum Ukec, presidential candidate Yasir Said Arman, Nhial Deng Nhial, Deng Alor Kuol, and Dr. Samson Kawaji.

"The leadership first and foremost called for the unity of the SPLM, reminding members and supporters that the liberation journey was not completed," said SPLM official Garang Kuot.

President Kiir addressed the contentious issue of those SPLM members who chose to contest as independents after not being chosen in SPLM primaries. He acknowledged that some of those who were bitter and decided to run as independent candidates were his long-time comrades who fought side by side with him during the long war. So he called on them to reconsider their running as independent candidates in order to maintain and preserve the unity of the SPLM.

In order to drive the point home, the President publicly acknowledged those who had initially chosen to run as independent candidates but then withdrew their candidatures. He called their act the exemplary spirit needed in the SPLM, acknowledging Angelo Marach Thiik, Gar Gar Adim, Autiak Majak, Anguei Lual and Lual Chol Makaam.

Both Salva Kiir Mayardit and Yasir Arman, SPLM national presidential candidate, had been further south in Western Bahr El Ghazal; they arrived Tuesday evening in Mapel Boma which is in the area of Wau.

They were escorted by Machar, Amum, Samson Kwaji, Deng Alor Kuol and Anthony Makana among other dignitaries.

Over 10,000 out of 15,817 votes registered in Mapel Boma lined up to welcome their party presidential candidates for their arrival in Mapel from Tumbura of Western Equatoria State, said James Deng Dimo, SPLM official state secretariat spokesman.

In the opening rally, the SPLM nominee candidate for governor of Western Bahr El Ghazal state, Rezig Zakaria Hassan, introduced himself and two top party candidates to the Mapel Luo ethnic group.

This marks the first time that prominent SPLM figures have toured up in South Sudan in such a campaign convoy. Mapel was founded in 1994 during the wartime as a displace camp for the UN to supply war victims with food items.

However it is not the first time for Kiir and Riek Machar to see Mapel; the two men were popular to Mapel residents since Riek conducted a peace and reconciliation in 2005 between the state’s majority Luo ethic group, Faratid and Marialbai, a small Dinka tribe in Western Bahr el Ghazal State. But Yasir Arman and Pagan Amum Okech were the new faces in the area.

In the speech of Salva Kiir Mayardit in his campaign at Mapel, Kiir pointed out that Mapel is important in the history of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement because Mapel was not only for displaced persons but it was known as the headquarters of Wau County for SPLA to operate in greater Bahr El Ghazal.

Mayardit noted to people of Mapel the important of Cde Yasir Arman’s nomination to the post of presidency of the Republic of Sudan is based on his experience with SPLM and his competence and commitments to SPLM and Southerners.

Kiir mentioned that Arman was under his command in the movement since 1987 in Kurmuk, Blue Nile and Western Equatoria at a time when President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir launched planes to attack Yambio and Maridi.

"My nomination toward the challenges of the country of Sudan with my compatriot Said Arman is an acceleration towards solving the consultation of Blue Nile, Southern Kordofan and demarcation of borders including Abyei demarcation and … the genocides in Darfur to come to an end," he said.

Kiir did not speak to the SPLA in Mapel about their delayed salaries. He congratulated the present SPLA senior officers whose ranks ranged up to Major General Charles Lam of the 5th Division. He asked Charles Lam to tell soldiers in the barracks that last week he settled that issues with the SPLA administrative branch.

In another development in the region, Paul Malong Awan, SPLM candidate for the Governor of Northern Bahr El Ghazal State has taken his campaign online by officially launching his campaign website: paulmalongforgovernor.org. Paul Malong intended to take his message to a wider audience, particularly for state citizens who are living in distant places.

(ST)

[chiefayic2]

SPLM Campaign in Malakal

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Opposition coalition and SPLM to decide on election boycott next week

March 28, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese opposition forces and the southern Sudan ruling party agreed to delay their decision on whether to participate in April election or to boycott it to the next week after a meeting of the presidency where the issue is to be discussed.

The decision was announced on Saturday in Khartoum after a meeting attended by 17 political forces including the Umma Party of Sadiq Al-Mahdi, SPLM, PCP of Hassan Al-Turabi, the Communist Party and DUP of Mohamed Osman Al-Mirghani who joined the coalition today for the first time.

The multiparty election is scheduled for April 11 to 13, but rumours persist of a possible delay despite the announced rejection of the National Congress Party (NCP) which ruled the country following a coup d’état in June 1989.

The Sudanese presidency is expected to meet next Tuesday March 30, and the issue of election postponement will be discussed on the request of the SPLM chairman Salva Kiir Mayadrit.

"The ’National Consensus’ forces have decide to delay the decision on its participation or boycott of the elections to the next week after a presidential meeting to be held next Tuesday," said Farouk Abu Eissa, the head of the coalition in a press conference held today following the meeting.

"The representatives of «SPLM» officially informed the meeting that the First Vice President and SPLM chairman, Salva Kiir Mayadrit, sent a note to the presidency demanding to address the abuses that accompanied the electoral process and to postpone the election to an appropriate time," Abu Eissa said.

He added that the outcome of this presidential meeting may resolve the problem and respond positively to the request of election postponement. He pointed out the leaders of the National Consensus will meet on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning to announce their decision regarding the election.

Sudanese opposition parties have called to delay the elections, a key provision of the CPA, to November this year. They accused the NEC of bias in favor of the ruling NCP and urged to undertake reforms in a number of laws primarily relating national security and media.

Abu Eissa reiterated their position form the electoral board and also distanced the coalition from Bashir threats to expel foreign observers. The Carter Center which is in the country since last year to observe the electoral process in Sudan said in a report released last week that preparations by Sudan’s NEC were lagging.

"With a series of delays and changes in polling procedures, a minor delay in polling for operational purposes may be required," it said adding that "The Carter Center is deeply concerned that the final voters’ list is still not ready, with several hundred thousand names still omitted". The center also mentioned there were reports of discrepancies between registration booklets and the central electronic voter registry.

In his press Conference, Abu Eissa also welcomed the participation of the Democratic Unionist Party of Mohamed Osman Al-Mirghani for the first time in the meetings of the coalition announcing that the DUP has joined the National Consensus.

SPLM runner for Sudan President, Yasir Arman who represented his party with the Secretary General Pagan Amum told reporters that the coalition changed its name from "Juba Conference" to "National Consensus" adding "We make up the majority of the political class, except for the National Congress Party" of President Al-Bashir.

Al-Mirghani, who is also the leader of the National Democratic Alliance had launched the "National Consensus Initiative" to resolve the outstanding issues in the process of democratic transition in the country. But he blamed the opposition and the ruling coalition forces NCP and SPLM for ignoring his initiative and refused to participate in Juba conference where the former allies of the NDA gathered last year.

Before the CPA era, the late SPLM leader John Garang was a close ally to Al-Mirghani who is expected to visit soon Juba for meeting with Salva Kiir. GOSS Vice President Riek Machar paid a visit to the DUP leader at his home in Khartoum North to discuss the electoral process.

Pagan Amum who flanked Machar during the visit told reporters that the two parties agreed to adopt a joint position on the election following Tuesday meeting.

(ST)

[chiefayic2]

Sudan electoral body dismisses resignation of its chairman

Sunday 28 March 2010

March 27, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan electoral board has dismissed the resignation of its head Abel Alier stressing he chaired a meeting it held today Saturday while the commission follows its activities as usual.


Abel Alier, Chairman of the Electoral Commission (C) with two other members of the electoral board. (SUNA)

The denial comes after strong rumours in the capital Khartoum yesterday about Alier resignation which could lead to the delay of electoral process until the parliament is called to appoint a new chairman.

The deputy chairman of the National Election Commission Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah denied in statements to the official SUNA the resignation of NEC chairman Abel Alier saying the Commission, in a meeting chaired by Alier, discussed on Saturday the latest preparation ahead of the critical phase of polling process.

He added in remarks made after the meeting that the NEC tackled the ongoing arrangements for the elections and ensured the receipt of equipment imported from the United Kingdom and South Africa as well as the transfer of required electoral materials to Juba and other regional states.

All the required equipments will be delivered by April 8 and elections will take place as scheduled, he stressed.

On November 25, 2009, Sudanese President appointed Alier and eight other eight members of the NEC after their endorsement by the parliament on November 17, as necessary step towards the organization of general election.

The independent commission is the sole institution that has the authority to fix the date of elections and to postpone it. In accordance with the electoral law, the elections should be organised to take place six months after the establishment of the NEC.

Such resignation if happened would force to postpone the electoral process until the call of two chambers of the parliament by presidential decree in order to approve a new chairman of the Commission after discussion between the two peace partners.

Several opposition parties and Darfur rebel groups ask to delay the election but the ruling National Congress Party refuses the idea. A coalition of of opposition forces and the southern Sudan ruling SPLM agreed today to take a decision on the issue next week after a meeting for the Sudanese presidency where the postponement will be discussed.

(ST)

[chiefayic2]

SPLM’s Arman quits Sudan’s presidential race

March 31, 2010 (KHRTOUM) — The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) said on Wednesday it was withdrawing its candidate for the Sudanese presidency, Yasir Arman, due to the Darfur situation and election irregularities.


Yasir Arman

Selected in January to compete against Omer Al-Bashir, Arman was seen as the sole challenger that who might put in difficulty the incumbent president in this first multiparty election since 1986.

"The SPLM will withdraw its candidate Arman from the presidential elections and it will enter general elections in 11 northern states but boycott them in the three states of the western Sudan region of Darfur," said Riak Machar, the SPLM deputy chairman on Wednesday.

Machar announced the boycott of presidential election in a press conference held in Juba after a meeting of the SPLM Political Bureau where the party debated on its participation in the general election. He and several leading members including Yasir Arman and pagan Amum held a series of meetings with the opposition forces in Khartoum.

Machar said the decision has been taken in response to a request from SPLM sections in Darfur who protested the participation of the party in the general election while the conflict in the restive region remains unresolved and IDPs are excluded from the polling.

Tomorrow, the opposition forces in Khartoum and the SPLM will adopt a joint position on whether or not to participate in the presidential election.

The opposition forces demanded the delay of elections till November to settle political irregularities, amend laws obstructing public freedom and settle Darfur problem.

(ST)

[chiefayic2]

Opposision Parties Pulling out candidates

KHARTOUM, April 1 (Reuters) – Sudan’s main opposition parties have withdrawn from this month’s presidential election, a senior member of one of the groups said on Thursday, a decision that could wreck the vote and damage the faltering peace process.
“On the level of the candidates of the Presidency of the Republic, most of them (Sudan’s opposition groups) decided to withdraw,” said Mohamed Zaki, head of office for Sadeq al-Mahdi, leader of the opposition Umma party.

Zaki said only five independents and representatives of smaller parties were still in the race against incumbent President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Zaki said there was still a chance the main opposition candidates might review their decision if the government agreed to an overhaul of the National Elections Commission and responded to their complaints of widespread vote fraud.

A day earlier, south Sudan’s leading party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), withdrew its candidate Yasir Arman from the election, protesting against voting irregularities and insecurity in Darfur.

Sudan’s presidential, parliamentary and gubernatorial elections, due in less than two weeks, are central to the 2005 peace deal that ended more than two decades of civil war between Sudan’s Muslim north and the south, whose inhabitants are mostly Christian or follow traditional beliefs.

As part of the peace accord, the SPLM joined Bashir’s northern National Congress Party (NCP) in a fragile national coalition government.

The SPLM last year joined a loose coalition with opposition groups calling for democratic reforms and complaining about irregularities in the preparation for the vote. (Reporting by Opheera McDoom; writing by Andrew Heavens; editing by Andrew Dobbie)

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Juba Alliance parties criticize US for contradictory stances on elections

Tuesday, 06 April 2010 23:06 Sudan >>>

The Juba Alliance parties described the US State Department statement as contradictory with the statements of the US envoy to Sudan Scott Gration. State Department called for lifting restrictions on political parties, whereas the US Envoy has said the elections would be free and fair.

Speaking to Miraya, spokesman of the Alliance, Farouk Abu Issa, criticized Gration's understanding of Sudan's electoral process.

On his part, a leading member in the National Congress Party Rabbie Abdul Atti described the US administration's statements on lifting the restrictions on the political parties as not realistic, adding that there are no restrictions to be lifted.

He said the opposition parties were given the right to explain their platforms through state and private owned media organs.

Earlier the United States had called on the Sudanese government to lift restrictions on the political parties.

The spokesman of the State Department, Philip Crowley, said that the United States is worried about the developments and in particular serious restrictions on political freedoms.

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2,800 national elections observers to be deployed

Tuesday, 06 April 2010 23:20 Sudan >>>

The National Network Centre for the Observation of the Elections has announced the deployment of 2,800 national observers all over the country. In a press conference on Monday in Khartoum the spokesperson of the network Tarrigue Mahajuub criticized the National Elections Commission for acting slowly in issuing ID cards for the observers.

The network assured that it will issue a report free from influence from any party.

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NEC sets up 21 polling centers abroad

Tuesday, 06 April 2010 17:10 Sudan >>>

The National Elections Commission (NEC) has set up 21 polling centers outside Sudan to enable Sudanese living abroad to vote in Sunday's Presidential elections. Voting centers are set up, among others, in Washington, New York, Ottawa, London, Dublin, Brussels, Rome and Kuala Lumpur.

[chiefayic2]

SPLM abandons North Sudan elections race, Umma party delays decision

Wednesday 7 April 2010

April 6, 2010 (WAHSINGTON) — The dominant political party in South Sudan reached a decision to boycott elections in most of North Sudan following intense deliberations.



Sudan is due to hold its first multi-party election since 1986 on Sunday, which will include presidential, legislative and local elections.

Last week, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) took the surprise decision of withdrawing its presidential candidate Yasir Arman from the race and also announced its boycott of polls in Darfur. Reasons given by the SPLM leadership for the move included irregularities and voter fraud as well as conflict in Sudan’s Western region.

However, suspicions arose that the SPLM took the decision under pressure from the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) to withdraw Arman in return for facilitating South Sudan’s road to independence following the 2011 referendum in the semi-autonomous region.

Last January, the NCP declared its endorsement to SPLM chairman Salva Kiir for South Sudan presidency and urged their partner in the government of national unity to reciprocate in the north by pulling out Arman from contesting against incumbent president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.

The SPLM however denies succumbing to pressure from the NCP. Today the Southern party said it would boycott elections in most states in northern Sudan.

"After reviewing the situation ... we the SPLM for the northern sector have arrived at the conclusion to boycott elections in the 13 northern states of Sudan," excluding the sensitive states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan, Pagan Amum, the secretary general, said after a meeting of the SPLM political bureau.

Amum told reporters the party was taking the decision in protest against irregularities in the build-up to the vote. The SPLM and opposition parties have accused the NCP of clamping down on campaigning and rigging voter registration and other preparations. The NCP denies the accusations.

"The NCP continues to issue threats to observers ... what would happen to Sudanese people?" Amum asked rhetorically, citing worries of vote rigging.

A senior NCP official criticized the decision by the SPLM calling it "unjustified".

"The NCP regrets this decision by the SPLM, and urges the movement to immediately reconsider it," Ibrahim Ghandour told China Xinhua agency.

"The SPLM seems to reel under internal division which triggered unreasonable and unjustified decisions," Ghandour, who is in charge of the elections file, said.

He also dismissed the poll rigging claims, saying "the elections have not kicked off yet."

"If the SPLM boycotts the elections due to rigging in the north, it still runs in the same elections in the south," he added.

In a related issue the Dubai based Al-Arabiya TV said that the Carter Center, a non-governmental organization founded by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter that aims to further democracy and human rights, said that it requested a written and public apology for Bashir remarks or else they will reconsider their monitoring mission.

The Sudanese president has twice threatened to mutilate and expel any foreign observers if they call for postponing elections.

"There is no chance to postpone the elections, even if one day...... any observer party requesting to delay the elections or interfere in our affairs....will not stay [another] 24 hours in the country" Bashir told a rally in Al-Jazeera state in central Sudan.

"[Our government] before expelled the British ambassador and the Canadian ambassador and special envoy of the United Nations ... Whoever tries to insult us we will cut off their neck and extend his tongue to abuse us we will cut off his tongue" he added.

The only long-term international observer mission in Sudan said last month that Sudan may need a slight delay in its elections to deal with logistical problems, with hundreds of thousands of names missing from the voters’ list.

Carter Center also officials issued a report saying Sudan’s April presidential and legislative elections remained "at risk on multiple fronts" and urged Sudan to lift harsh restrictions on rallies and end fighting in Darfur ahead of the ballot.

The NCP and National Election Commission (NEC) have dismissed calls for postponement insisting it will go as planned.

There will be "no delay," Hadi Mohammed, head of the technical committee of the NEC, told reporters after talks with US special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration.

"Preparations are finished," he said.

Some 50 demonstrators from the Grifna [We are fed up] movement gathered outside the offices of the commission to demand "free and fair" elections, an Agence France Presse (AFP) reporter said. They carried a coffin representing the NEC’s integrity.

On Saturday, Gration said after meeting members of the commission that he was confident the elections would be as "free and fair as possible" and would start on time and praised done by the board.

However, on Monday the US state department signaled it is open to a slight delay in elections and also urged Sudan to immediately lift restrictions on political parties.

Today’s decision makes the SPLM the second major party in Sudan to announce some form of boycott to the elections after the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) and the breakaway Umma Reform and Renewal Party (URRP). The mainstream Umma Party led by Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi has failed to reach a decision by a self-imposed deadline that expired today though it appears likely that it will end up taking part in the elections.

The opposition Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which pulled out of the presidential race last week after the first SPLM boycott, said late on Tuesday it had reversed its decision.

It decided to reinstate its presidential candidate Hatim al-Sir after appeals from supporters, party official Salah al-Basha told Reuters, without giving details.

The DUP has been holding talks with the ruling NCP in recent days and was a late member of a loose opposition coalition protesting against irregularities. Some commentators earlier saw it as a possible NCP ally in the poll.

(ST)

[chiefayic2]

Carter Center threatens to withdraw from Sudan unless Bashir apologizes publicly: TV

Wednesday 7 April 2010

April 6, 2010 (WAHSINGTON) — The US based Carter Center has reportedly requested an apology for Sudanese president’s remarks threatening to expel them or else they will reconsider their monitoring mission.


Sudan’s President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir (Reuters)

The Dubai based Al-Arabiya TV quoting unidentified sources said that the Carter Center, a non-governmental organization founded by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter that aims to further democracy and human rights, informed Khartoum about their intention to withdraw unless they receive a "written and public" apology from president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.

The Sudanese president has twice threatened this year to mutilate and expel any foreign observers if they call for postponing elections.

"There is no chance to postpone the elections, even if one day...... any observer party requesting to delay the elections or interfere in our affairs....will not stay [another] 24 hours in the country" Bashir told a rally in Al-Jazeera state in central Sudan this weekend.

"[Our government] before expelled the British ambassador and the Canadian ambassador and special envoy of the United Nations ... Whoever tries to insult us we will cut off their neck and extend his tongue to abuse us we will cut off his tongue" he added.

Last month Bashir made similar statements also apparently directed at Carter Center.

"We wanted them to see the free and fair elections, but if they interfere in our affairs, we will cut their fingers off, put them under our shoes, and throw them out," he said.

The only long-term international observer mission in Sudan said last month that Sudan may need a slight delay in its elections to deal with logistical problems, with hundreds of thousands of names missing from the voters’ list.

Carter Center also officials issued a report saying Sudan’s April presidential and legislative elections remained "at risk on multiple fronts" and urged Sudan to lift harsh restrictions on rallies and end fighting in Darfur ahead of the ballot.

The NCP and National Election Commission (NEC) have dismissed calls for postponement insisting it will go as planned.

Al-Arabiya TV also said that Carter Center protested NEC rules prohibiting non-Sudanese monitors from conducting their activities outside Khartoum.

Today, the Sudanese presidential adviser Mustafa Ismail sought to downplay the tension with Carter Center describing it as a "highly competent and a recognized neutral body" according to statements on state media.

He noted out at a press briefing in the Sudanese Journalist Union headquarters that this centre was the one that supervised the elections in Palestine and said that the misunderstanding with the Centre "has now been overcome after the clarifications we received from the centre and we now have full confidence in the centre and in its neutrality".

Ismail said that Bashir has personally took the initiative and invited the Carter Centre be an election observer and has also commended former US President Jimmy Carter and his efforts.

The elections are followed by a southern referendum on independence in January 2011, which most analysts expect to result in secession. Both are benchmarks of a 2005 north-south peace deal which ended more than two decades of civil war.

(ST)

[mansouros]

^ last post, do u mind sharing the link or the article? thanx.

didn't c the ST (Sudan Tribune) sry. BBC had a similar one which i why i asked.

[chiefayic2]

Sudan opposition Umma party will boycott elections

KHARTOUM, April 7 (Reuters) - Sudan's Umma Party, one of the main opposition parties, said on Wednesday it would boycott next week's presidential, legislative and gubernatorial polls, blighting their credibility.

President Omar Hassan al-Bashir had hoped to win the April 11 polls in defiance of an International Criminal Court warrant for his arrest to legitimize his rule in Africa's largest country.

The withdrawal of the Umma party, and that of the main south Sudan party a day earlier, will cast a major shadow over the elections, Sudan's first multi-party polls in 24 years.

"The political bureau decided to boycott the current elections at all levels," senior Umma party official Sara Nugdullah told reporters.

The party had set eight conditions for participation including a four-week delay and government funding for political parties. Only one condition, a campaign spending ceiling, was met by the April 6 deadline.

Nugdullah said Umma party leader Sadeq al-Mahdi had been granted the right to "take action in the national interests," but three party officials said this would not affect the decision to boycott the elections.

Two party sources said Mahdi may consider taking a position similar to that of the ex-southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), which on Tuesday announced a boycott in the north, except in the central Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.

Mahdi was the last democratically elected leader of Sudan in 1986 and was one of Bashir's two main challengers in the presidential polls.

The favourite to threaten Bashir, SPLM candidate Yasir Arman, withdrew last week citing major fraud and the continuing conflict in Darfur, sparking a crisis of confidence in the elections and leaving a loose opposition alliance in disarray.

On Wednesday the biggest international observer mission -- from the European Union -- said it was withdrawing its observers from war-torn Darfur because fighting and kidnappings were restricting the movement of its staff, undermining their ability to observe election preparations.

The Communist Party, the Umma breakaway Reform and Renewal and other smaller parties announced a full boycott last week.

The polls, due to begin on Sunday, look shaky and Umma Party political bureau member Ahmed Abdallah said the Umma decision may persuade other parties still contesting the elections to join their boycott. (Reporting by Opheera McDoom, editing by Tim Pearce)

Reuters

[chiefayic2]

European Union withdraws Darfur poll observers

EL-FASHER, Sudan, April 7 (Reuters) - The European Union on Wednesday withdrew its election observers from Sudan's Darfur region, saying safety fears were hindering their work.

Sudan is days away from what should be its first multi-party presidential, legislative and gubernatorial elections in 24 years, but opposition parties have said the polls in Darfur will be a farce while a seven-year conflict continues in the region.

"I have decided to come back with all the team. The six observers who are...in Darfur," Veronique De Keyser, who heads the EU's election mission in Sudan, told reporters.

There has been a rash of kidnappings of Westerners in Darfur together with repeated bandit attacks and reports of fresh fighting between rebels and government forces.

President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for suspected war crimes in Darfur, hopes to reinforce his rule with an election victory.

De Keyser said she was concerned the team would only be able to see a fraction of the voting, due to take place from Sunday to Tuesday, and could miss irregularities.

"We are forced to stay in a very limited area ... There is a risk of putting the credibility of the whole mission in danger," she said.

The Belgian member of the European Parliament said the team was well treated in Darfur, but she had been worried for their safety in remote areas.


NO ACCESS

"In some parts of Darfur the violence is terrible. The humanitarians cannot access this area. And if aid cannot access, we cannot access," she added.

The observers, who flew back on a private plane hired by the mission, said they were disappointed to leave but prepared to move on to watch the elections in other parts of Sudan. "We have to face up to the reality of the situation," said one.

The EU team, which arrived in Darfur in mid March, consists of two observers in each of the three state capitals

Violence flared in Darfur in 2003 when mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against Sudan's government, accusing it of neglecting to develop the region.

The United Nations estimates that up to 300,000 people may have died after the government mounted a counter insurgency, arming mostly Arab militias. Khartoum rejects the accusation, putting the death count at 10,000.

De Keyser said she was also worried after Bashir threatened to expel international observers who pushed for a delay in the ballot. He threatened to cut off their fingers and tongues.

"You don't usually treat international observers you have invited like that. ... It doesn't reflect the traditional hospitality of the Arab world," she said.

Sudanese activists and electoral observers on Wednesday urged the international observer missions to withdraw fully from Africa's largest country.

"International elections observer missions should immediately pull out of Sudan," they said in a joint statement.

The activists said the international observers could not fully cover the 10,000 voting centres and with the U.S.-based Carter Center being the only long-term mission, the others had missed most of the fraud during last year's voter registration.

"These missions lend the appearance of legitimacy to what has been proven to be a deeply flawed elections process and the presumed re-election of a man who is internationally wanted for war crimes in a vote that is neither free nor fair."

The EU is the largest international mission with some 130 observers. (Reporting by Andrew Heavens; writing by Opheera McDoom; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Reuters

[chiefayic2]

Sudan’s Bashir stops short of apology to Carter Center

Thursday 8 April 2010

April 7, 2010 (WAHSINGTON) — The Sudanese President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, in a huge shift of tone, hailed the work done by the Carter Center in his country and overruled a decision made by election officials to bar foreign observers from leaving the capital when the polls open next Sunday.


Sudan’s President Omer Hassan al-Bashir wipes his head during an election campaign in Bashir’s hometown of Shandi, 317 km (197 miles) outside Khartoum April 7, 2010 (Reuters)

"In two days, president Carter will arrive and I will receive him and will give him and his centre permission to go to any area of Sudan and to monitor any area in Sudan," Bashir told a rally north of Sudan.

"This man did good things for us and we never forget the man who did good things for us," he added.

Yesterday, the US based Center has reportedly requested an apology for Sudanese president’s remarks threatening to expel them or else they will reconsider their monitoring mission.

The Dubai based Al-Arabiya TV quoting unidentified sources said that the Carter Center, a non-governmental organization founded by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter that aims to further democracy and human rights, informed Khartoum about their intention to withdraw unless they receive a "written and public" apology from president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.

However, the Carter Center’s deputy director in Juba said they did not ask for any apology from the president.

“We did not ask for an apology but we had asked for a clarification of the remarks that President al-Bashir had made and we also asked for a re-affirmation of our invitation as international observers, which we received. The rumor that that president Carter has been banned from Sudan is completely untrue as well as the other rumor that we are banned from 9 states of Sudan as international observers - that is also completely untrue” Sanne van den Bergh told the Sudan Radio Service (SRS).

The Sudanese president has twice threatened this year to mutilate and expel any foreign observers if they call for postponing elections.

"There is no chance to postpone the elections, even if one day...... any observer party requesting to delay the elections or interfere in our affairs....will not stay [another] 24 hours in the country" Bashir told a rally in Al-Jazeera state in central Sudan this weekend.

"[Our government] before expelled the British ambassador and the Canadian ambassador and special envoy of the United Nations ... Whoever tries to insult us we will cut off their neck and extend his tongue to abuse us we will cut off his tongue" he added.

Last month Bashir made similar statements also apparently directed at Carter Center.

"We wanted them to see the free and fair elections, but if they interfere in our affairs, we will cut their fingers off, put them under our shoes, and throw them out," he said.

The only long-term international observer mission in Sudan said last month that Sudan may need a slight delay in its elections to deal with logistical problems, with hundreds of thousands of names missing from the voters’ list.

Carter Center also officials issued a report saying Sudan’s April presidential and legislative elections remained "at risk on multiple fronts" and urged Sudan to lift harsh restrictions on rallies and end fighting in Darfur ahead of the ballot.

The NCP and National Election Commission (NEC) have dismissed calls for postponement insisting it will go as planned.

Sudanese activists and electoral observers on Wednesday urged the international observer missions to withdraw fully from Africa’s largest country.

"International elections observer missions should immediately pull out of Sudan," they said in a joint statement.

The activists said the international observers could not fully cover the 10,000 voting centers and with the Carter Center being the only long-term mission, the others had missed most of the fraud during last year’s voter registration.

"These missions lend the appearance of legitimacy to what has been proven to be a deeply flawed elections process and the presumed re-election of a man who is internationally wanted for war crimes in a vote that is neither free nor fair."

But Sudan today announced that former president Carter will arrive on Thursday in Khartoum to lead the poll observer team.

The director of the democracy program at the Carter Center David Carroll told Voice of America (VOA) that the team will be impartial in assessing the vote.

“Our purpose is two-fold. We are trying to show the international community what’s happening in Sudan (and) we are also here to render an assessment as an impartial, credible observer group, about the electoral process that has been unfolding here in Sudan,” Carroll said.

“We’ve been operating in Sudan at the invitation of the government of Sudan and of the election authorities and also under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, which provides for the access of observers…throughout the country,” he added.

Carroll disclosed that Bashir has clarified his previous pronouncement about expelling international observers.

“We were concerned about some of the remarks made in the past week made by President Bashir, but he has clarified his statements recently that we will have complete access and our observers will be able to carry out their work," Carroll said.

(ST)

[kitayabi]

Originally Posted by chiefayic2

SPLM’s Arman quits Sudan’s presidential race



(ST)

the SPLM tested the water found out that Arman wasn't popular in the North and pulled him out but so as to tarnish the Elections it was referred to as a boycott.