November 28, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government responded angrily to a statement by the US administration which expressed doubts that the April 2010 elections could be held in a credible manner hinting that it should be delayed.
Yesterday the US State department released a statement saying that Washington is “concerned about the chances for conducting credible elections and referenda”.
“In Khartoum, the two parties to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)—the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM)—continue their discussions to resolve key outstanding issues relating to the 2010 national elections and the 2011 referenda in Southern Sudan and Abyei. Unfortunately, the parties have not yet demonstrated the political will necessary to achieve resolution on these difficult and sensitive issues”.
In the past the US has been adamant about conducting elections on time despite signs that this may not be possible in light of political disagreement and long standing objections by opposition parties that the NCP is restricting free press and political campaigning with wide powers granted to the security bureau including those relating to arresting individuals.
The Sudanese foreign ministry spokesperson Muawiya Osman Khalid described the US position as “sabotage with a goal of achieving special agenda” adding that the number of registered voters surpassed 10 million which he described as a “good figure”.
Khalid noted that the border demarcation between North and South “is a long technical process” stressing that the committees are carrying out their duties in “coordinated and coherent steps”.
The Sudanese official called on the international community “to ignore the voices which seeks to doubt the elections” and the support the democratic transformation process and encourage the political parties “to carry out their role towards its members”.
This week in Khartoum the US special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration said that he is “pleased to see that Sudan is entering into the registration period that things are proceeding, and we look forward to a good election in April”.
The change in US position could indicate failure by Gration to make the NCP or SPLM reach a middle ground on last year’s census results used to determine geographical constituencies which the ex-southern rebel group views as objectionable because it claims to understate the population of Southerners. There is also a dispute of the draft national security bill as well as the referendum law.
The negotiations between the NCP and SPLM on elections and referendum have been dragging on for months which could jeopardize the timing of holding both processes. The elections have so far been moved up 3 times.
The SPLM categorically rejects any delay in rescheduling the 2011 referendum amid regional concern that the South may resort to unilateral declaration of independence.
The Sudanese political parties including the SPLM are scheduled to meet in the coming weeks to determine whether they will take part in the elections which they alleged to be marred with widespread fraud.
The Islamist opposition leader Hassan Al-Turabi said any boycott decision has to be made by a coalition of parties and that it is useless for one single party to make such a move unilaterally.
(ST)
حركة العدل و المساواة السودانية
موقع متخصص بنقل آخر الأخبار و البيانات و القرارات لحركة العدل و المساواة السودانية