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We Are Proud of Sudanâs Vote, Says Electoral Commission Official

   Peter Clottey 19 April 2010
   Former US President Jimmy Carter, head of The Carter Center monitoring
   mission  for  the  Sudanese  elections  leaves after attending a press
   conference in Khartoum, Sudan, 17 Apr 2010

Photo: AP

   Former US President Jimmy Carter, head of The Carter Center monitoring
   mission  for  the  Sudanese  elections  leaves after attending a press
   conference in Khartoum, Sudan, 17 Apr 2010

   A  top  official  of  Sudanâs  National  Electoral Commission says the
   electoral  body is proud of organizing the countryâs first election in
   24  years  despite  criticisms  the  vote failed to meet international
   standards.

   Media  advisor  Abu  Bakr  Waziri  said  the electoral commission will
   tabulate the rest of the vote results Thursday and declare a winner of
   the presidential election.

   âThe  results which were coming were not that big. Only this afternoon
   and  this  evening  we  got  as many (results). We are expecting (and)
   hoping  that by Thursday, we will receive all the tabulations from all
   the states including the president,â he said.

   Ballot  counting began last Friday after five days of general election
   voting.  Local  media  reported  that  incumbent President Omar Hassan
   Al-Bashir, as expected, is heading toward an overwhelming victory.

   Several  opposition  groups,  including  the Sudan Peopleâs Liberation
   Movement  (SPLM)  pulled  out  of the general elections after accusing
   President Bashirâs dominant National Congress Party of influencing the
   National  Electoral  Commission  to  rig  the  vote  --  a  charge the
   electoral body denies.

   Waziri  said  the  electoral  body  did  a  good job in organizing the
   election.

   âWe  as  the  National  Electoral Commission, we are very confident of
   what  we  have  done.  If there is some logistical problem if there is
   some  technical  problem,  they  did not amount to affecting the whole
   process  of the election. There were only minor mistakes and they were
   corrected at the same time,â Waziri said.

   In  their  preliminary reports, international poll observers including
   the  Carter Center and the European Union concluded that the elections
   failed to meet international standards because of widespread problems.

   But  officials  of the electoral commission said it was unfair for the
   poll  monitors  to  expect the general elections to meet international
   standards after the countryâs first vote in 24 years.

   Waziri  said  consultants from whom the electoral body sought guidance
   were pleased with the organization of the election.

   âOur  advisors  from  the UN and others when we checked with them they
   said  these  (problems)  were  actually very small mistakes that could
   happen   everywhere  in  the  election  process  in  every  democratic
   country,â Waziri said.

   This monthâs Sudan election forms part of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace
   Agreement  (CPA)  that  ended  the  civil  war  between  the President
   Bashir-led  government  and  the  Sudanâs  People  Liberation Movement
   (SPLM).

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