Sudan elections script

Voice over

In April 2010 Sudan held its first election since 1986. Previous elections had not been observed by major international bodies such as the European Union.

The elections followed the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement which ended the longest war in Africa’s largest state. The hostility between the mainly Arab Muslim north and the Christian and animist majority in the south had fuelled conflict since independence in 1956.

President Omar al-Bashir took power in a military coup in 1989 and has dominated northern politics, despite being the first head of state to be indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. In the south, Salva Kiir has led an autonomous government since 2005. The country has been ruled by an uneasy government of national unity led by Bashir, who heads the National Congress Party (NCP) and Kiir, who leads the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLA) based in the southern capital Juba.

International experts had criticised the dominance of these two men, especially the way they restricted opposition parties, manipulated the media and arranged the census and electoral boundaries to suit their own interests.

The 2010 election was also the most complex election Africa has seen.

Voters were expected to cast 8 votes in the north and 12 in the south for the Sudanese presidency, the south Sudanese president, as well as for the national parliament, state assemblies, and state governors.

The system mixed first past the post with proportional representation especially for women, who were given 25 per cent of the seats in the national and state assemblies.

Women voted enthusiastically and in great numbers, despite the problems of high illiteracy and in the south great difficulties in reaching the polling stations, because of the absence of roads. Another difficulty was the voters’ lists, which were often missing or inadequate.

Voters were allowed five days to find the right polling station and then cast their vote. They did so with often great enthusiasm, despite the many procedural problems. Many polling stations opened late because either ballot papers or ballot boxes were missing.

Another issue was intimidation and alleged rigging.

The main opponent of Salva Kiir, Dr Lam Akol, complained that his party was seriously hampered in the election.

The Centre for Foreign Policy in London, which sent 50 independent international observers, noted a series of irregularities, especially at Terekaka, in Central Equatoria.

Also in Bentiu in Unity State, tribal as well as party clashes between the Bashir’s NCP and Kiir’s SPLM undermined the integrity of the elections.

It was sometimes difficult to separate assistance to confused and illiterate voters and attempts to manipulate voters.

Yet in the context of very poor infrastructure, a long civil war and a lack of democratic traditions that such a highly complex election could be conducted at all was remarkable.

The involvement of so many women was also impressive. Unlike many western countries, even prisoners were allowed to vote.

An important part of the election was the assistance of the United Nations Mission to South Sudan. The UN also helped in the war-ravaged region of Darfur.

The election was extended from three to five days, partly because of the lack of infrastructure in the south.

The counting was also delayed.

The European Union judged that the election did not meet international standards.

The American Carter Center also made the same judgement.

The African Union and Arab League said that the election was free and fair.

The UK Centre for Foreign Policy Analysis noted the many flaws but said that the election was a credible and important step towards democracy, and hoped that lessons could be learned for the next step – the referendum scheduled for January 2011 which could lead to independence for the south.

The results were largely predictable. Because so many opposition parties withdrew claiming fraud, President Bashir won 68 per cent of the vote and so remains, for the time being, head of united Sudan. In the south Salva Kiir took 93 per cent. Here too the main southern opposition parties cried foul.

The south looks set on independence soon. Both regions are likely to argue about the country’s large oil resources, which straddle the north-south disputed border. The two regions have fought a long civil war, so whether they can separate without further fighting is a key issue. Perhaps the election, which was largely peaceful, might be point to a more amicable divorce between north and south.