Former President Kufuor speaks on Sudan elections
Source: Ghana Web
Accra, April 5, GNA - Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, has stated that the African Union does not favour any of the contesting political parties in the impending general elections in Sudan. A statement signed by his spokesperson, Mr Frank Agyekum said, the Union's interest was the smooth conduct of the elections to help Sudan to return to peace and stability.
Sudan goes to the polls from April 11 to April 13 this month for the first time in more than 25 years to elect a President and a 450-member National Assembly.
The statement said speaking at a Press Conference at the Grand Holiday Villas in Khartoum, Sudan, former President Kufuor, who led a 50-member AU Observer Mission, said the delegations are in Sudan as impartial and neutral election observers who did not owe any allegiance to any of the contending parties.
President Kufuor explained that their duty is to observe the conduct of the elections in accordance with the AU's Declaration Principles governing elections in Africa.
The 50-member AU Observer Mission is expected to determine at the end of the elections whether it was conducted in accordance with the constitution and laws of Sudan.
The Mission includes National Electoral Commissioners, Members of the Pan-African Parliament, members of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the AU and representatives from Civil Society Organizations. They are also expected to determine the credibility of the whole electoral process in terms of providing a level playing field to all parties in their access to the media, movement and freedom of choice. The European Union has also sent delegations to observe the elections. 5 April 10
Another Slap on the Face of Opposition
Editorial: Sudan vision
The Sudanese opposition remains receiving the SPLM slaps since a long time in full enjoyment as if it is aiming at self whipping. That was obvious since Machakos Framework Agreement between the NCP
and the SPLM after which the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) trembled angrily for the SPLM neglecting the alliance and entered into negotiations with the Sudanese government.
Then late Dr. John Garang arrived in Asmara to cool down the anger of the NDA ignoring their complaints over the SPLM entering into serious talks with the government without even enlightening the alliance with the outcomes of the series of meetings.
Late Garang escaped the NDA cause by affirming that IGAD, which was sponsoring the negotiations, is attempting to resolve South Sudan crisis and not the whole Sudan issue.
The negligence of the SPLM and its leaderships continued till the NCP and the SPLM signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement afar from the NDA and the other opposition parties in the country.
The only two political parties which recognized that negligence were the Democratic Unionist Party (Al-Shareef Al-Hindi Wing) and National Umma Party under the leadership of Sadiq Al-Mahdi, so they withdrew from the NDA as it did not achieve any of their ambitions.
Opposition parties continued their attempts to find a fingerprint in the Sudanese political arena until they signed Cairo Agreement according to which the NDA was given a very little piece from the NCP share in the power’s cake, after the SPLM rejected to abandon any of its share despite the past NDA's support to the SPLM.
Then all northern opposition figures returned to Sudan and those figures continued asking the support of the SPLM against the NCP, but the movement, according to its tactics and interests, utilized that to achieve its objectives.
Nowadays, the opposition is repeating the same old story and created the so-called Juba Alliance to fight against the NCP with the support of the SPLM, but the latter dealt with all the issues of Juba Alliance in a very clever manner to serve its interests.
By withdrawing its Presidential candidate and affirming contesting in the upcoming elections, the SPLM proved that it doesn't recognize the oppositions' demands.
The northern opposition remains receiving the continuous SPLM blows without turning its face or trying to protect itself from these slaps.
Gration Meets Parties to Negotiations,
Source:Sudan Vision
Optimistic about Achieving Peace in Darfur despite Challenges
The government's delegation to Doha negotiations has refused to sign any procedural items regarding ceasefire agreement with rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) outside a paper prepared by the mediation in this connection.
"We explained to the U.S envoy during our meeting with him unequivocal evidence on reluctance by JEM to carry on with negotiations and to freeze talks under the pretext of delaying elections and other pretexts," Dr. Amin Hassan Omer, head of the government's delegation, said in a press statement yesterday, adding "negotiations have nothing to do with elections. Despite its early agreement to sign a ceasefire deal, JEM was reluctant as usual to reply the paper prepared by the mediation in this respect," Omar continued.
He added that the government delegation had notified the mediation of its categorical rejection of signing any items contrary to the draft the mediation pushed earlier. "JEM came up with a paper that has nothing to do with the framework agreement," Omar said.
On his part, U.S envoy Scott Gration had suggested to Darfur armed factions in Doha conducting elections in Darfur in two years time frame, whereas to hold them in other parts of the country as scheduled. Gration expressed his optimism about achieving progress in the negotiations despite challenges.
The U.S envoy said that JEM and other movements seemed to be willing to make concessions to arrive at necessary agreements to achieve a comprehensive peace for Darfurians, and that the government in Khartoum also appears to be willing make necessary amendments to pay compensations, share wealth and power and achieve justice to Darfurians.
JEM's Spokesperson, Ahmed Hussein said in a press statement that Gration had met with movement and had proposed holding elections in Darfur after two years. "We affirmed to Gration the movement's commitment to peace as a strategic option; however, there is no real partner in peace, and that the government wants elections as priority and does not want peace in Darfur," Hussein said.
He stressed that JEM was seeking peace satisfactory to IDPs, refugees and the people of Sudan to bring about a real democratic transformation. "We have notified Gration of that," Hussein added. "We told him that if we wanted to stall elections, we wouldn't stall them in Darfur but in Khartoum. But we are committed to the agreement and ceasefire," Hussein added.
He said that his movement had called on the U.S envoy for the necessity of a clear approach by the U.S administration and the international community toward issues without focusing on a single issue and a unified position by the international community.
Gration resumed his meetings with officials yesterday, where he met Dr. Ghazi Salahadeen, in charge of Darfur file, and Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie, advisor to the President of the Republic.
What is behind the current Sudanese electoral scene?
Source: sudansafari
Monday, 05 April 2010
The Sudanese electoral scene was confused by the Juba Conference powers which still unable to reach a consensus on whether to participate in the upcoming elections or not. Although they were present at the Sudanese political scene since the independence of Sudan, the traditional political powers still suffer from internal splits, lack of political cadres and leaders, platform and organizations. This weak situations has made the traditional political powers to rely much on the stances of other political powers such as the SPLM.
Although the tradition political powers know that the establishment of the SPLM was ideologically and politically motivated by the unfairness of the traditional powers, the political misery of the said powers has made them think that the SPLM could help them assume power and defeat their political foes. The SPLM did not forget that the same tradition powers had rejected federation on the eve of the Independence. The SPLM did not forget that the said traditional powers have been ignoring the peace agreements during the successive eras.
It was obvious that the SPLM is no longer interested in achieving political gains in the northern Sudan. The SPLM was just trying to make use of the northern political parties in its political maneuvers against the National Congress Party.
But, the question is what makes the opposition powers trust the SPLM, although they were deceived by the SPLM many times
Disputes within the SPLM over Arman's Withdrawal, Kiir Rejects Elections Boycott
Sudan vision
The Head of the SPLM, Salva Kiir refused a note raised by the North Sector which calls for boycott of the elections at all levels in the north while the candidates of the Movement for the post of governor in "13" northern states decided to boycott the elections process
and freeze their campaigns, at the time dozens of Arman supporters demonstrated on Sunday outside the premises of SPLM in Khartoum in protest of his withdrawal from the presidential race and chanted slogans demanding him to compete in the elections.
SPLM Deputy Head, Riek Machar said, in press statement following his meeting with the candidates for the positions of governors in the north, that he delivered a response from Salva Kiir on the said note that they raised last Wednesday affirming that he informed them on the directives of Salva Kiir that the said sector to continue in the elections process in all levels but the Movement candidate for the post of Khartoum State ,Edward Lino refused to consider that a final decision to settle the issue of elections participation.
Machar said that they will receive a final response to the demands later pointing to queries from the north sector on how to implement the decisions and directives regarding the continuation of the elections process in the north.
Machar is expected to discuss the said matter with Salva Kiir in Juba to get the appropriate response, but the SPM candidate for the position of Al-Gezira governor, Mohammad Yousif Ahmed, told reporters later that the 13 candidates for the posts of governors in the North decided to boycott the elections and announced an immediate suspension of their campaigns saying that the boycott came as a result of fraud in the elections process and the failure to ensure fairness and impartiality.
On his part, the NCP affirmed that what happens in the SPLM, the North Sector is nothing for them and that they do not mean by the withdrawal threats and accusation against the party raised by some leaders in the said sector.
NCP leading figure and the candidate, constituency 32, Eisa Bushra said that the official opinion of the SPLM had been identified by the First Vice President and head of the Movement, Salva Kiir adding that his party trusts in the official view of the SPLM.
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