Japan will dispatch an election observation team to Sudan

DISPATCH OF A JAPANESE ELECTION OBSERVATION TEAM FOR THE GENERAL ELECTIONS IN SUDAN
Source: Japan - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Monday, 05 April 2010 (via pr-usa.net):

The Government of Japan will dispatch an election observation team to Sudan to assist free and fair elections to be conducted in the general elections in Sudan scheduled to be held from Sunday, April 11 to Sunday, April 18, 2010. The team will be headed by Mr. Yuichi Ishii, former Ambassador of Japan in Sudan, and composed of sixteen members including government officials and private experts.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in January 2005 put an end to the North-South civil war in Sudan, which had lasted for more than twenty years. The CPA stipulated the holding of the general elections in Sudan, where nation-wide elections have not been conducted over a long period of time. Therefore, the forthcoming general elections will be a very important milestone from the point of view of the democratization of Sudan as well as the implementation of the Agreement.

During the stay in Sudan, the election observation team will conduct monitoring in such activities as the preparation of the elections and the processes of voting and counting. The team also plans to exchange views and information with representatives of the National Election Commission, the Sudanese Government and other election observation teams, among others. Other countries and organizations such as the European Union, the African Union and a non-governmental organization of the United States are also sending observers to the elections.

To support the preparation and implementation of the general elections in Sudan, Japan extended assistance amounting to approximately ten million US dollars (approximately one billion Japanese yen) in October last year. Japan's dispatch of an election observation team is the manifestation of its cooperation for the democratization of Sudan not just in finance but also in the personnel area. Japan, bearing in mind a referendum in southern Sudan scheduled for January 2011, intends to make active efforts for peace and stability in Sudan.