Sunday, November 01, 2009 8:40:16 PM
Sudan’s NCP says election’s boycott threaten political stability
August 17, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan’s dominant National Congress Party has warned today the opposition parties that any action to stop the next year elections would threaten the political stability in the country and endanger the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
Kamal Obeid
The NCP was reacting to the threat of boycott issued yesterday by some 24 opposition parties who said they would not participate in the upcoming elections if laws restricting public freedoms are not amended before the end of October.
Sudan is expected to hold in April 2010 its first fair free elections for the presidency of the republic and in southern Sudan semi-autonomous region as well as the governors at the states level. In addition, Sudanese will elect their MPs for the federal, southern Sudan and regional parliaments. The elections will mark the end of the interim period that started in July 2005 following the signing of the CPA.
The NCP political sector, in a meeting held on Sunday, called on the political forces to deal with high degree of accountability and transparency with the implementation of the CPA and to stop sending negative signals to the Sudanese people over the real causes that could prevent them from taking part in the elections.
The dominant party was alluding to the difficult situation of the Sudanese opposition forces which are weakened by more than twenty years of opposition and witnessing divisions and lack of funds to finance their political campaigns.
Kamal Obeid, the NCP secretary of informatio, in a press statement following the meeting said that the Political Sector discussed the relations with various political forces and the preparations to hold the election on the scheduled date.
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32154
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Sudanese register for first vote in 24 years
02 November 2009 AFP
Sudanese voters have a month to register for the polls and
the authorities have set up both fixed and mobile registration
centres across Africa's largest country. (AP)
Enthusiastic Sudanese have begun registering for their country's first presidential, legislative and regional elections in 24 years, with the authorities facing a tough logistical challenge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sudan criticises renewal of US sanctions
02 November 2009 AFP
"America claims it works as a mediator and is playing a positive role in solving Sudan's problems, and at the same time it renews its sanctions against us," Mustapha Ismail, an advisor to President Omar al-Beshir, told reporters in Cairo on Sunday.
US President Barack Obama renewed the sanctions on Tuesday, a week after unveiling a new policy of pressure and incentives toward the Khartoum government.
The sanctions restrict US trade with and investment in Sudan, freeze Sudanese government assets in the United States, and ban transactions with individuals and entities linked to the conflict in Darfur.
The United Nations says an estimated 300,000 people have died in Darfur since ethnic rebels rose up against Khartoum in 2003, claiming discrimination. Khartoum says 10,000 have died in the conflict.
The US's new strategy involves engagement with Khartoum government officials, although the outreach will not include Beshir, who faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant on alleged war crimes in Darfur.
On Saturday, US special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration met southern leader Salva Kiir as part of ongoing talks to hammer out key issues ahead of elections due in April and a 2011 referendum on south Sudanese independence.
The Muslim north and Christian south Sudan fought a two-decade civil war that ended in a 2005 power-sharing agreement that scheduled an independence referendum for 2011.
The two sides have since agreed on how to conduct the referendum, but the south has also accused the north of arming ethnic militias in southern states to destabilise the region ahead of the vote.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1123047/Sudan-criticises-renewal-of-US-sanctions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Due to be held in April, the ballot comes at a crucial time for Sudan.
The president faces an international arrest warrant for alleged crimes in the troubled western region of Darfur and tensions remain between the Khartoum government and the semi-autonomous, mostly Christian south, despite a peace deal struck in 2005 to end a 22-year civil war.
"Voter registration has started across Sudan," the head of the elections commission, Al-Hadi Mohammed Ahmed, told AFP.
Sudanese voters have a month to register for the polls and the authorities have set up both fixed and mobile registration centres across Africa's largest country.
"We have set up a calendar (to reach remote areas) and village (tribal) chiefs are aware" of the registration, said Ahmed.
But Western experts have voiced concern that authorities will be unable to reach remote areas of Sudan, where some 19 to 20 million people from a 39-million-strong population are eligible to vote.
"The election commission may have some difficulties to move materials to very remote locations," a UN source said on condition of anonymity.
"One of the differences between previous elections and these is that each individual will have to show up in person in order to be included in the voter register."
Aly Verjee, of the US non-governmental Carter Centre which monitors elections, agreed: "It is a challenge to register 20 million people in one month ... In Darfur there is a combination of security and logistical issues."
Few people were out Sunday on the streets of Khartoum and in Juba, the capital of the semi-autonomous south, but in both cities residents said they planned to register for the April 2010 election.
Juba also celebrated the launch of registration on Saturday with a concert and marches through the town, with people lining streets, clapping, cheering and waving election leaflets.
"We are happy because this is the start of the elections," said 25-year-old William Deng, who drives a motorbike taxi.
"I will go register in the week because today is the day of rest," said Mary Lago, a secretary on her way to Sunday mass.
Khartoum housewife Musaid Yussef carried her baby to a registration office in a working-class district. "I am Sudanese and I want to exercise my right to vote," she said.
Ali Abdel Galil Omar said he was given a "plastic, numbered voter registration card," which he was told to submit in April when he casts his ballot.
US special Sudan envoy Scott Gration, who is visiting the country for talks with officials on key issues ahead of the vote, on Sunday urged people to register for the elections.
"As the president (of the semi-autonomous south Salva Kiir) said, we urge you to register to vote, to express your will, to do this in peace and for peace," Gration said in Juba.
The general elections will be the first in Sudan since 1986, three years before President Omar al-Beshir toppled a democratically elected government in a bloodless military coup, and the fifth since independence in 1956.
The research institute Rift Valley said the aim of the registration drive was to reach 70 percent of the eligible electorate, raising the tally from the 50-percent registration rate of 1986.
Beshir, who has been facing since March an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Darfur, has pledged free and fair elections.
But former rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), who now share a unity government with Beshir's National Congress Party (NCP), and other opposition parties have threatened a boycott.
The factions are demanding an "amendment of all laws related to freedoms and democratic transformation" by November 30 to bring them into line with Sudan's interim constitution.
In 2005, after 22 years of north-south civil war that saw largely Christian and animist rebels pitted against the Khartoum government, the SPLM and the NCP signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
The deal stipulated that Sudan will organise general elections in July this year but they were pushed back to April 2010, and also called for a referendum in January 2011 on self-determination for the south.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1123007/Sudanese-register-for-first-vote-in-24-years
August 17, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan’s dominant National Congress Party has warned today the opposition parties that any action to stop the next year elections would threaten the political stability in the country and endanger the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
Kamal Obeid
The NCP was reacting to the threat of boycott issued yesterday by some 24 opposition parties who said they would not participate in the upcoming elections if laws restricting public freedoms are not amended before the end of October.
Sudan is expected to hold in April 2010 its first fair free elections for the presidency of the republic and in southern Sudan semi-autonomous region as well as the governors at the states level. In addition, Sudanese will elect their MPs for the federal, southern Sudan and regional parliaments. The elections will mark the end of the interim period that started in July 2005 following the signing of the CPA.
The NCP political sector, in a meeting held on Sunday, called on the political forces to deal with high degree of accountability and transparency with the implementation of the CPA and to stop sending negative signals to the Sudanese people over the real causes that could prevent them from taking part in the elections.
The dominant party was alluding to the difficult situation of the Sudanese opposition forces which are weakened by more than twenty years of opposition and witnessing divisions and lack of funds to finance their political campaigns.
Kamal Obeid, the NCP secretary of informatio, in a press statement following the meeting said that the Political Sector discussed the relations with various political forces and the preparations to hold the election on the scheduled date.
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32154
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Sudanese register for first vote in 24 years
02 November 2009 AFP
Sudanese voters have a month to register for the polls and
the authorities have set up both fixed and mobile registration
centres across Africa's largest country. (AP)
Enthusiastic Sudanese have begun registering for their country's first presidential, legislative and regional elections in 24 years, with the authorities facing a tough logistical challenge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sudan criticises renewal of US sanctions
02 November 2009 AFP
"America claims it works as a mediator and is playing a positive role in solving Sudan's problems, and at the same time it renews its sanctions against us," Mustapha Ismail, an advisor to President Omar al-Beshir, told reporters in Cairo on Sunday.
US President Barack Obama renewed the sanctions on Tuesday, a week after unveiling a new policy of pressure and incentives toward the Khartoum government.
The sanctions restrict US trade with and investment in Sudan, freeze Sudanese government assets in the United States, and ban transactions with individuals and entities linked to the conflict in Darfur.
The United Nations says an estimated 300,000 people have died in Darfur since ethnic rebels rose up against Khartoum in 2003, claiming discrimination. Khartoum says 10,000 have died in the conflict.
The US's new strategy involves engagement with Khartoum government officials, although the outreach will not include Beshir, who faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant on alleged war crimes in Darfur.
On Saturday, US special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration met southern leader Salva Kiir as part of ongoing talks to hammer out key issues ahead of elections due in April and a 2011 referendum on south Sudanese independence.
The Muslim north and Christian south Sudan fought a two-decade civil war that ended in a 2005 power-sharing agreement that scheduled an independence referendum for 2011.
The two sides have since agreed on how to conduct the referendum, but the south has also accused the north of arming ethnic militias in southern states to destabilise the region ahead of the vote.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1123047/Sudan-criticises-renewal-of-US-sanctions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Due to be held in April, the ballot comes at a crucial time for Sudan.
The president faces an international arrest warrant for alleged crimes in the troubled western region of Darfur and tensions remain between the Khartoum government and the semi-autonomous, mostly Christian south, despite a peace deal struck in 2005 to end a 22-year civil war.
"Voter registration has started across Sudan," the head of the elections commission, Al-Hadi Mohammed Ahmed, told AFP.
Sudanese voters have a month to register for the polls and the authorities have set up both fixed and mobile registration centres across Africa's largest country.
"We have set up a calendar (to reach remote areas) and village (tribal) chiefs are aware" of the registration, said Ahmed.
But Western experts have voiced concern that authorities will be unable to reach remote areas of Sudan, where some 19 to 20 million people from a 39-million-strong population are eligible to vote.
"The election commission may have some difficulties to move materials to very remote locations," a UN source said on condition of anonymity.
"One of the differences between previous elections and these is that each individual will have to show up in person in order to be included in the voter register."
Aly Verjee, of the US non-governmental Carter Centre which monitors elections, agreed: "It is a challenge to register 20 million people in one month ... In Darfur there is a combination of security and logistical issues."
Few people were out Sunday on the streets of Khartoum and in Juba, the capital of the semi-autonomous south, but in both cities residents said they planned to register for the April 2010 election.
Juba also celebrated the launch of registration on Saturday with a concert and marches through the town, with people lining streets, clapping, cheering and waving election leaflets.
"We are happy because this is the start of the elections," said 25-year-old William Deng, who drives a motorbike taxi.
"I will go register in the week because today is the day of rest," said Mary Lago, a secretary on her way to Sunday mass.
Khartoum housewife Musaid Yussef carried her baby to a registration office in a working-class district. "I am Sudanese and I want to exercise my right to vote," she said.
Ali Abdel Galil Omar said he was given a "plastic, numbered voter registration card," which he was told to submit in April when he casts his ballot.
US special Sudan envoy Scott Gration, who is visiting the country for talks with officials on key issues ahead of the vote, on Sunday urged people to register for the elections.
"As the president (of the semi-autonomous south Salva Kiir) said, we urge you to register to vote, to express your will, to do this in peace and for peace," Gration said in Juba.
The general elections will be the first in Sudan since 1986, three years before President Omar al-Beshir toppled a democratically elected government in a bloodless military coup, and the fifth since independence in 1956.
The research institute Rift Valley said the aim of the registration drive was to reach 70 percent of the eligible electorate, raising the tally from the 50-percent registration rate of 1986.
Beshir, who has been facing since March an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Darfur, has pledged free and fair elections.
But former rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), who now share a unity government with Beshir's National Congress Party (NCP), and other opposition parties have threatened a boycott.
The factions are demanding an "amendment of all laws related to freedoms and democratic transformation" by November 30 to bring them into line with Sudan's interim constitution.
In 2005, after 22 years of north-south civil war that saw largely Christian and animist rebels pitted against the Khartoum government, the SPLM and the NCP signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
The deal stipulated that Sudan will organise general elections in July this year but they were pushed back to April 2010, and also called for a referendum in January 2011 on self-determination for the south.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1123007/Sudanese-register-for-first-vote-in-24-years
Jonathan Swift said, "May you live all the days of your life!"
Harvey Milk (i think) .. lol .. "Without hope life is not worth living. You gotta give them hope. You gotta give them hope."
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