From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Mon Apr 19 2010 - 10:51:55 EDT
SPLM Official Disagrees with Observers on Transparency of Northern Sudan
Vote
SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum says President Bashir's National Congress
Party rigged the vote to show legitimacy
James Butty | Washington, DC 19 April 2010
Southern Sudanese wait to vote at a polling station outside Juba, southern
Sudan, Tuesday, April 13, 2010. Each item in the line at center represents
an individual who plans to return as soon as the polling station opens.
Widespread problems with voting prompted Sudanese authorities to extend the
voting period from three to five days. (AP Photo/Pete Muller)
African Union observers in Sudan said Sunday that the country's elections
were "free and fair".
An official with the AU observer mission - Kunle Adeyemi -- was quoted as
saying that while the vote was not perfect, the group found no evidence of
fraud.
Pagan Amum, secretary general of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement
(SPLM), south Sudan's main political party said the vote in the north was
not free and fair.
"In northern Sudan, the SPLM of course is not contesting the elections; it's
boycotting these elections. Political parties that contested are all clearly
indicating that these elections are rigged by the National Congress (Party).
Even some candidates who voted for themselves, even their votes were not
shown to them. It's a real farce, it's a real total rig by the National
Congress (Party)," he said.
Amum accused President Omar al-Bashir of seeking legitimacy through the
falsification of the will of the people something he said would not be
acceptable to the people of northern Sudan.
He said SPLM candidates were performing well in the constituencies in which
they contested the poll.
Southern Sudan President and elections candidate Salva Kiir casts one of his
ballots at a poling station set in a restaurant in Juba, Southern Sudan,
Sunday April 11, 2010.
"The latest update indicates the SPLM is winning a very comfortable majority
in southern Sudan. For sure the presidency of southern Sudan is secured for
the SPLM candidate Mr. Salva Kiir Mayardit with a very wide margin of
victory with the other candidate of the so-called SPLM-DC (Sudan people's
Liberation Movement Democratic Change)," Amum said.
Amum said the elections in the south hold special significance for the
people of that region of Sudan.
"The SPLM contested elections in Southern Sudan to seek the mandate of the
people and to take the people of southern Sudan to the referendum, while in
Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, the SPLM is contesting to seek the mandate
of the people to lead them to the exercise of popular consultation in these
two states," Amum said.
He said the south boycotted the elections in Sudan's western Darfur region
in solidarity with the people there who he said are demanding an end to the
conflict as well as the lifting of the state of emergency in Darfur.
Amum said until the referendum in January 2011, south Sudan will continue to
remain a part of Sudan's unity government.
"Definitely the SPLM will be participating in the government of national
unity representing southern Sudan until the referendum where the future of
SPLM participation will be decided by the people. If the people of southern
Sudan vote separation, then the SPLM in the national government will resign
and go to the south to join the rest of the people of southern Sudan to
establish their own independent state," Amum said.
The African Union assessment came a day after observers from the European
Union and the Carter Center of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said the
Sudan elections failed to meet international standards.
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