Sudan’s landmark elections fail to meet international standards
In a historic step, Sudan has conducted its first multi-party election in 24 years. Since gaining independence from British/Egyptian rule in 1956, the country has undergone years of fighting and power struggles. The election was intended to be the symbol of Sudan’s progression towards peace and democracy after two decades of civil war that claimed the lives of around 2 million people.
In 2005, the cornerstone of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed by the northern government in Khartoum, and the southern Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) was the promise of organizing general elections.
However, elections were overshadowed by corruption, allegations of rigging and intimidation, the boycotting of numerous parties, and various logistical problems.
With so many difficulties, voting was inevitably going to be fraught with problems. Former US president Jimmy Carter –head of the Carter Centre monitoring the elections – stated: “It is obvious that the elections will fall short of international standards that are expected of advanced democracies”.
The Carter Centre identified problems such as voter names missing on registers and ballots sent to the wrong voting stations. There are also reports of voter intimidation, including cases of voters being followed into polling stations and being told who to vote for.
“Turnout is very high, 60%, but with significant deficiencies,” EU mission chief Veronique de Keyser told a news conference in Khartoum.
The ballot system has also been singled out for criticism as too complicated, and ballot papers still bore the names of candidates who had recently decided to boycott.
In the Darfur region, where fighting continues, EU observers were forced to pull out because of security fears.
Foreign officials had advocated a delay in order to better prepare, but incumbent President Omar al-Bashir threatened to “cut off the fingers” of those urging a delay.
President al-Bashir’s major rival parties, including the SPLM and the northern opposition Umma party, boycotted citing alleged fraud. The BBC’s James Copnall says that with the absence of his main competition, al-Bashir is guaranteed victory.
Last May the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanities in Darfur. Al-Bashir hopes that the presidential term will help him evade his arrest warrant, and provide legitimacy for his National Congress Party (NCP), which came to power after a coup in 1989.
Despite its boycott, the SPLM is anxious that the elections proceed so that there is no delay to a 2011 referendum on independence for southern Sudan. In the south there is thought to be much support for secession from the north. However, as the country’s oil fields lie close to the unofficial border, renewed violence and conflict could be imminent.
Humanitarian blogs are debating whether the elections mark a beginning for a fledgling democracy, or whether international observers have been too tolerant of the many flaws. Certainly these elections are marred by significant problems, and will not affect the lives of the millions of Sudanese living in absolute poverty. “These elections will not suddenly transform Sudan into a democratic society” said Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah, the deputy chairman of the electoral board. “That will take time and experience.”
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Good and bad news – hopefully we’ll see further steps in the right direction! It will be interesting to see what the response to the referendum will be…
Sudan Election: Footage of alleged vote rigging caught on video http://ecadforum.com/articles/?p=605