Arman: SPLM will participate in the next government - Salva Kiir will be the First Vice President of the Republic of Sudan

Three news reports from SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday 27 April 2010:

The GOSS president-elect says the general elections have given southerners the right to choose who should determine their future through the referendum in January 2011

Tuesday 27 April 2010 - (Juba) - Salva Kiir was addressing reporters in Juba on Monday shortly after he was declared the winner of GOSS presidential race.

[Salva Kiir]: “The exercise you have just performed is one of the major processes embedded in the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed on January 9th, 2005. These elections have given the Sudanese people in general and southern Sudanese in particular a golden opportunity to decide by themselves who should run their affairs and prepare them and determine their future through the referendum in January 2011.”

Kiir said the task is too demanding for one man and called on southerners to join him on the mission.

[Salva Kiir]: “Compatriots, the trust you have bestowed on me represents a heavy burden of responsibility. However, with God’s help I shall endeavor to be worthy of that trust. With humility, allow me to say that this task is too demanding a task for one man. I Salva Kiir as a person cannot take it on myself alone. Thus, I call upon all southern Sudanese to join me on this mission and together we shall certainly succeed.”

Salva Kiir was addressing reporters in Juba on Monday.

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement has confirmed that it will participate in the national government to be formed despite its withdrawal from the elections in northern Sudan

Tuesday 27 April 2010 - (Khartoum) - Following the announcement of the final results of the general elections in Khartoum on Monday, the SPLM deputy secretary-general for the Northern Sector, Yasir Arman, addressed a press conference.

[Yasir Arman]: “The SPLM will participate in the next government. Together with the SPLM chairman we have formed and assigned a group to study this task. It is worth noting that constitutionally the President of the Government of Southern Sudan is the first Vice President. This is a constitutional issue. Now Salva Kiir will be the First Vice President of the Republic. There are members of parliament elected from southern Sudan, Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile who are SPLM members and have won seats in the national assembly. We will discuss with the NCP and others the basis on which the SPLM will participate in the next central government and the SPLM’s participation will be the right by rule of law and not as a gift from the NCP. This is a constitutional right and southern Sudan must participate in the central government.”

Arman says he will defend the right to hold a referendum on self-determination for the people of southern Sudan.

[Yasir Arman]: “I would like to urge the national democratic intellectuals all over the Sudan to stand firmly so that the people of southern Sudan have the right to vote on self-determination whatever the results may be. It is only the dark forces that would stand against the right of southern Sudanese to decide the issue of self-determination and we must all stand against the dark forces and the forces of war because whoever attempts to waive the right to self-determination is calling for war and not peace. Peace can only be guaranteed when there is the right to self-determination for southern Sudan. As such, I am greatly honored to be at the forefront to defend the right of southern Sudanese to have the self-determination referendum conducted on time.”

Yasir Arman was speaking at a press conference in Khartoum on Monday.

A group of nine political parties calling themselves the Alliance of South-South Dialogue has welcomed the victory of the National Congress Party’s presidential candidate, Omar Al-Bashir

Tuesday 27 April 2010 - (Khartoum) - The presidential Advisor for African Affairs and a senior member of South Sudan Democratic Forum, Bona Malwal, addressed a press conference in Khartoum on Tuesday.

[Bona Malwal-Arabic]: “We support the results of the victory of the president despite that we are not happy because our people in Southern Sudan were not allowed to express their feelings towards the president because we are sure that if people in the South were allowed to express their feelings, Al-Bashir is somebody great for the people in southern Sudan because he was the one who brought them peace. And my brothers and sisters as you all know peace for Southern Sudan is a great thing, a person who brought them peace they love him so much that was why Al-Bashir was accorded tumultuous receptions in Southern Sudan and despite all that the people of Southern Sudan were not allowed to express their good and happy feelings towards the president because people were pushed away by the SPLA soldiers and they were forcing the voters to vote for the people they wanted that was why the presidential elections results in the south was no satisfactory even to us. But thanks be to God that President Al-Bashir is the one who won and we have accepted this result but we vehemently reject the elections results in Southern Sudan.”

Mister Bona Malwal, Presidential Advisor for African Affairs and a senior member of SSDF was addressing the press in Khartoum on Tuesday.

With special thanks from Sudan Watch to SRS &
Charles Haskins
News Programming Advisor
Sudan Radio Service (SRS)
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South Sudan Democratic Forum says voter registration exercise has failed in southern Sudan

Untitled report by Sudan Radio Service, November 23, 2009:

(Khartoum) - The South Sudan Democratic Forum says the voter registration exercise has failed in southern Sudan.

The chairman of the South Sudan Democratic Forum, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs in the Government of Southern Sudan, Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, addressed a press conference in Khartoum on Sunday.

[Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro,]: “The voter registration exercise has failed in southern Sudan and I think this is because the NEC and the Elections High Committee in the south did not do their work as we expected. These two committees have failed in their work. Why am I saying this? First of all, voters’ education started very late and it was inadequate and for that reason citizens do not know why they are being registered. Are we being registered for elections or for the referendum? There are some people who say let those who want to contest the elections come first so that we can register. Many people in many areas do not understand what voter registration is all about and I think this is a major failure.”

Dr. Lomuro cited some of the challenges facing the exercise in southern Sudan.

[Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro]: “First of all, there are no vehicles; there is only one vehicle for each county. They are very old vehicles which cannot travel everywhere, especially with the poor roads in southern Sudan. Secondly, there are no motorbikes, and no bicycles. Also, each registration official was given 100 SDG as living expenses for the period from November 1 to November 30. Then they are to be given 1000 SDG. That means that each registrar spends 3 SDG daily for survival and they are operating in areas where they don’t know anybody - and they also use this limited amount of money for food and accommodation.”

Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro was speaking in Khartoum on Sunday.