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.

Ghana's Kufuor leads a 51-member AU team to monitor Sudan’s elections

Ghana's former President John Agyekum Kufuor is expected to leave Accra Saturday evening (April 03) for Khartoum, Sudan, as the head of a 51-member high-powered delegation of the African Union (AU), to observe and monitor general elections in that country scheduled for 11th – 13th April 2010.

The African Union (AU) mission will join other electoral monitoring and observer teams from the United States, the European Union and China.



Photo: Ghana's former President John Agyekum Kufuor

Kufuor leads AU team to monitor Sudan’s elections
Report by Myjoyonline.com, Saturday, 3 April 2010, 10:10 GMT:

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor is expected to leave Accra Saturday evening for Khartoum, Sudan, as the head of a 51-member high-powered delegation of the African Union (AU), to observe and monitor general elections in that country scheduled for 11th – 13th April 2010.

A statement signed by Frank Agyekum, Spokesperson of former President Kufuor, said Mr Kufuor is leading the delegation at the invitation of the AU.

The delegation is made up of representatives of the Pan–African Parliament including Edward Doe Adjaho, First Deputy Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament. It is also made up of Electoral Management Bodies from across the continent, Civil Society Organizations and African Human Rights Organizations.

The AU mission will join other electoral monitoring and observer teams from the United States, the European Union and China.

The elections to choose a President and Members of the Sudan National Assembly, brings to an end the transitional period which began when the decades-long Second Sudanese Civil War ended in 2005.

The AU team is to make an independent and impartial observation of the electoral process in line with the Union’s guidelines on election observation.

They will among others determine whether conditions existed for voters to freely express their will and evaluate the level of fair and equitable access to the media by the contending political parties.

From Khartoum, President Kufuor will go to San Francisco, in the US, as Chair of the Governing Council of Interpeace, the global peace organization, to attend the Ninth Annual Global Philanthropic Forum.

The Forum brings together about 500 leading philanthropic organizations from the across the world engaged in international development and humanitarian causes.

It aims to build a community of donors and social investors committed to international causes and to inform, enable and enhance the strategic nature of their giving and social investment.

During the meeting, former President Kufuor will have a live television conversation to be beamed across the world with Mrs Loiuse Arbour, Country Representative of the International Crises Group and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Former President Kufuor is expected back by the end April, 2010.

Fifty EU Election Observers from UK deploy to S. Sudan - Darfur issue could still be resolved after the elections

Sudanese people have a wonderful way with words. A year or so ago, Sudan's president Al-Bashir warned warmongers to go lick their elbows (try licking your elbow to see what he means). Last week, Mr Bashir said he will cut off the fingers of international observers if they interfere.

The Sudanese president gave a stern warning to foreign election monitors threatening to expel them if they call for a delay of the polls scheduled for April 11th.

The warning appears directed at the US based Carter Center which last week called for a slight delay in elections because of logistical and procedural issues.

The NEC deputy chairman Ahmed Abdullah insisted the elections would take place on April 11, as planned.

But Bashir had tougher words to the US based elections watchdog. "We brought these organizations from outside to monitor the elections, but if they ask for them to be delayed, we will throw them out... any foreigner or organization that demand the delay of elections will be expelled sooner rather than later, " he said.

"We wanted them to see the free and fair elections, but if they interfere in our affairs, we will cut their fingers off, put them under our shoes, and throw them out," he added.

Heh. Best of British luck to Paul Moorcraft and all other election observers. Thinking of you, wishing you well. Click on labels at the end of this post to read more about Paul Moorcraft and European Union observers for Sudan's elections.

UK Elections Observers Deploy To Help Sudan Move Towards Democracy
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, 29 March 2010:

29 March 2010 - (Khartoum) – the UK-based Centre for Foreign Policy Analysis, says it will deploy fifty election observers in south Sudan as part of the international community’s mission to observe Sudan’s general elections scheduled for April this year.

Speaking to the press in Khartoum on Saturday, the Director of the CFPA, Prof. Paul Moorcraft, emphasized that the observers are independent.

[Paul Moorcraft]: “We have fifty observers in the group. They come from a wide range of professions in the United Kingdom. We are independent; we are not aligned to government, although some of the people in the team have a military background or government background or academic background, they are here as neutral, absolutely neutral observers, independent, not tied to any government or creed or philosophy. Fifty people, many of them are lawyers, constitutional lawyers, some of them are eminent professors and some of them have been most of the time in observation recently. So we put together a very experienced varied team who speak Arabic. We tried to put together a team that will understand this country.”

Prof. Moorcraft said the CFPA wanted to help the Sudan move towards real democracy.

[Paul Moorcraft]: “In the final report which we will make, we will put our observations down and if there are some things that we think in our opinion could perhaps in terms of procedures be done better, we would make some suggestions as a way of perhaps trying to help. We are here simply to observe and this is a major operation. So we are here to look at the transition from your previous systems to a multi-party democracy. We are here to help but not to interfere. We are here to see what went right and perhaps one or two things that went wrong and we will record it as honestly and faithfully as we can. That is what we are here to do. We are here to help Sudan.”

Moorcraft described the recent statement by President Omar al-Bashir that he would expel foreign observers if they continue to call for the postponement of the elections as a “threat”.

According to him, the CFPA was invited by the National Elections Commission to assist with the observation of Sudan’s general elections in April.

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Election Observer Presses for Elections to Go Ahead
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Wednesday, 31 March 2010:

31 March 2010 - (Khartoum) – An international election observer says tribal conflicts in south Sudan should not serve as a pretext to postpone the elections.

Speaking to SRS in Khartoum, Paul Wesson from the UK-based Centre for Foreign Policy Analysis explains why he thinks the elections should be conducted as scheduled.

[Paul Wesson]: “I think the issue is that in the whole country you have 17 million people having an election and the election should not be delayed because of the actions of a few thousands people in one area. But if there is no election in that area, then that can be dealt with at a later stage, but the important thing is to have elections for the 17 million people — yes, the electorate is 17 million people - and the tribal conflicts are carried by a few thousand people who perhaps don’t have the national picture in their minds. It is possible that if an election doesn’t take place in one state or in one constituency it could be held separately at a later stage. The important thing is that the main election takes place.”

Wesson also suggested that the anti-government groups in Darfur should allow the elections process to go ahead as scheduled. He says that the Darfur issue could still be resolved after the elections.

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Two Citizens of Rumbek Comment Election Process
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service:

29 March 2010 - (Rumbek) – As the general election campaigns intensify and the election nears, SRS collected views of people in Rumbek, the capital of Lakes state.

[Vox 1 - male]: “I think the elections are going to be fair and free. I am going to vote in these coming elections because it is something I have been waiting for and the person I am going to vote for is some one that will implement the will of the southerners especially after the long struggle that took 21 years to achieve.”

[Vox 2 - female]: “The elections process is good and I think I am not a politician to comment about it. I work in the hospital. I think unity could be good for us southerners. I would like southern Sudanese to stay united. Let there be no such thing as this belongs to that and this to that. My right as a citizen is to unite with others so as to have one voice in achieving our long-awaited freedom.”

Those were views of two people in Rumbek concerning the elections.

More news from SRS - Sudan Radio Service:

30-Mar-2010

• Opposition Parties Postpone Polls Participation Decision
• NEC Deputy Denies Rumours of Chairman's Resignation
• Salva Kiir Pledges A People's Government in Southern Sudan
• GONU Sets Deadline For Darfur Peace Signing in Doha
• UNMIS to Patrol Potential Flashpoints During Elections

26-Mar-2010

• Coalition of Opposition Parties to Meet on Saturday to Decide on Elections
• Gore Welcomes Kiir Reconciliation Speech to Independents
• Kiir Campaigns in Turalei
• SPLM Claims 125 Defectors from SPLM-DC Return to Party Fold
• GOSS and GONU Ignore Agriculture in South
• Sudan Sports Latest
  
  

Sudan: April elections as scheduled - Election monitor deadline extended - SLM's Minnawi calls for delay

SUDAN'S elections on the 11th, 12th and 13th of April, will be keenly watched by the international community.



At an International donor conference for Darfur on the weekend, organisers in Cairo, Egypt fell far short of the $2 billion they'd hoped to raise, due to concerns over Sudan's security situation ahead of April's elections. Read more at Deutsche Welle (DW-WORLD.DE) Tuesday, 23 March 2010: Sudan instability hampering international aid to Darfur.
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April elections as scheduled

THE National Elections Commission (NEC) has repeated its commitment to conduct the April elections as scheduled.

Also, the NEC has extended the period for receiving applications from local and international observers who would wish to participate in the April elections.

However, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), Mini Arkou Minnawi, says that the postponement of the April general elections, will pave the way for the conduct of free and fair elections in Sudan.

Note that the SLM is not registered as a party to participate in April’s elections. Reportedly, Mr Minnawi claims his party is being intentionally excluded from participating in the elections.

Full story here below.

NEC Still Committed To April Elections
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, 23 March 2010:

(Khartoum) – The National Elections Commission has repeated its commitment to conduct the April elections as scheduled.

The NEC met on Monday in Khartoum to analyze a report by the Carter Center last week requesting NEC to delay the elections. The deputy chairman of the commission, Prof. Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah, addressed the press after the meeting.

[Prof. Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah]: “The report by the Carter Center stirred up the media. However, we would like to inform you that the report is not from NEC. The NEC has gone through the details. We saw a need to study the report in detail and that’s why we formed a committee to look into the report. And the conclusion is the elections will be conducted as scheduled, God willing, on the 11th 12th and 13th of April.”

Aside from a newly-deployed European Union mission, the Carter Center is the only international elections observation mission in Sudan.

- - -

Election Monitor Deadline Extended
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, 23 March 2010:

(Khartoum) – The National Elections Commission has extended the period for receiving applications from local and international observers who would wish to participate in the April elections.

An NEC expert on elections, Mohamed Abdul-Daiem, told the press in Khartoum on Monday that they have received hundreds of applications from NGOs willing to observe the conduct of elections in Sudan.

[Mohamed Abdul-Daiem]: “After we had declared the 21st March as the final date for accepting applications for institutions wanting to observe the elections, we continued to receive applications and we realized that many civil society organizations are still carrying out trainings. And so, in appreciation of their efforts, we decided to include them in the observation process and we extended the initial date until 30 March. This will enable these organizations to participate in the first democratic exercise in Sudan. This morning, we received 8192 applications from local observers all over the country. We are now examining these applications and we will then issue them with identity cards.”

Mohamed Abdul-Daiem was speaking to the press in Khartoum on Monday.

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Minnawi Calls For Delay in Elections
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, 23 March 2010:

(Khartoum) – The leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement says that the postponement of the April general elections, will pave the way for the conduct of free and fair elections in Sudan.

Mini Arkou Minnawi, who is the senior presidential assistant, spoke to SRS from Khartoum on Tuesday.

[Mini Minnawi]: “The voices that are calling for postponement of the elections are right. Although the NCP do not accept the idea, it would have a positive impact on the security situation in Sudan. It would also impact on whether the elections will be free and fair. So we should consider all these issues, then move together towards finding the solution. But personally, I’m not part of these elections.”

Minnawi’s movement is not registered as a party to participate in April’s elections.

Minnawi claims that the NCP and the intentionally excluded his party from participating in the elections.

[Mini Minnawi]: “Our brothers in the NCP and the NEC have colluded to exclude us from these elections. But we will talk about that after the elections, because it is premature to talk about the result of the elections before we discuss the conduct of the elections.”

That was the leader of SLM, Mini Arkou Minnawi speaking to SRS from Khartoum.

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More news from SRS

Tuesday 23-Mar-2010

• Bashir Threatens to Expel Election Monitors
• Presidential Candidate Urges Unity of Sudan
• Most Southern Sudanese At Risk from Water-Borne Diseases Says UNICEF
• Cattle Raiders Steal 400 Cows in Twic East

Voter registration in Darfur, Sudan has exceeded 60%

Voter registration in Darfur has exceeded 60%. UNAMID will help provide security for observers and transportation of ballots in Darfur during the vote.

"Any foreigner or organization that demand the delay of elections will be expelled sooner rather than later, " Sudan's president al-Bashir said in remarks carried by the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera television.

"We want them to observe the elections, but if they interfere in our affairs and demanded the delay, we will cut their fingers and put them under our shoes and expel them," he told supporters, according to his remarks carried by Al-Arabiya television web site."

Meanwhile, the head of the U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur said Monday he expected elections in Darfur to go smoothly, despite fears of violence and calls for the poll's delay.

Ibrahim Gambari, who took over the UNAMID mission in January, said he doesn't think security will be "a major consideration."

"The security will be pretty good, if our experience in the registration period was anything to go by," he told The Associated Press after attending an international fundraising conference for Darfur in Cairo.

Gambari said an agreement between Sudan and Chad to stop supporting rebels in their respective countries, a general decline in fighting in Darfur and diminishing rebel control over territory have already had a positive impact on security.

Full story by Sarah El Deeb SARAH (AP) CAIRO, Tuesday, 23 March 2010: Sudan prez threatens to expel election observers

EU observers arrive in Sudan for elections - Russians to send observers

EU Observers Arrive in Sudan For Elections
Report from Sudan Radio Service - SRS, Thursday, 11 March 2010:

(Khartoum) - The European Union Election Observation Mission to Sudan has officially launched its activities to observe the forthcoming general elections scheduled for April this year.

Speaking at a press conference in Khartoum on Thursday, the Chief Observer of the EU Election Observation Mission to Sudan, Madam Veronique De Keyser, explains the composition of the elections observer team.

[Veronique De Keyser]: “The team is there, it is present here and we have another circle, a broader circle which I call my second circle. The second circle is the 58 long-term observers who arrived some days ago and will be deployed to the 25 states of Sudan as soon as possible which is very soon, probably this weekend. So they will be deployed and we will cover the whole of Sudan - the whole country. Then there will be a third circle, the third circle is the short-term observers. They will arrive some days before the elections, stay for the elections date to re-enforce the team and will leave very shortly after the elections. The long term will stay here.”

Madam De Keyser went on to explain the methodology her team will use for observing the electoral process.

[Veronique De Keyser]: “We will be there before the elections, we will be there during the elections and we will be there after the elections – but to analyze what? First of all, clearly to be close to the facts and evidence. We are an impartial mission. We have no preferred side which is to say we don’t interfere in Sudanese politics and we will never interfere and we will be very strict, sticking to the facts and very vigilant about whatever could happen during the electoral process. We will make a very short preliminary statement after the elections and then we will provide a full report with recommendations for the future because as I mentioned I think it is really a learning process for the Sudanese people and Sudanese bodies and authorities, it is very important.”

Veronique De Keyser was speaking at a press conference in Khartoum on Thursday.

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Russians To Send Observers For Elections
Report from Sudan Radio Service, Thursday, 11 March 2010:

(Khartoum) - The Russian Special Envoy to Sudan says that Russian observers will help Sudan to carry out free, fair and democratic elections.

Mikhail Margelov spoke to the press after meeting National Elections Commission officials in Khartoum on Thursday.

[Mikhail Margelov]: “We discussed the preparations for the elections and we agreed that the delegation of Russian observers which is coming to observe the elections will have a meeting with his Excellency the head of the elections commission of Sudan. We in Russia pay a lot of attention to the forthcoming elections in Sudan; we want them to be free and fair. And we received all the information which we wanted from the central elections commission. We are really satisfied with the great amount of hard work which is being done here and we wish the people of Sudan successful, free, fair and democratic elections. Russian observers will be where they are needed and we are ready to help.”

Mikhail Margelov was speaking to the press in Khartoum on Thursday.