Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


We Will Work With Sudanâs âDefactoâ Government, Says SPLM Official

   Peter Clottey 22 April 2010

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS

   Southern  Sudan President and elections candidate Salva Kiir, looks on
   during  his  meeting  with  EU  chief  observer for Sudanese elections
   Veronique  de  Keyser,  not  pictured,  in Juba, South Sudan, Tuesday,
   April  13,  2010.  The  elections  were  billed  as  a chance to bring
   democracy  to  Sudan  and  start  to  heal  a  history of turmoil. (AP
   Photo/Abd Raouf)

   A  former  presidential  candidate  says despite irregularities during
   last  weekâs general elections, the Sudan Peopleâs Liberation Movement
   (SPLM)  will  work  with  incumbent  President Omar Hassan al-Bashirâs
   âdefactoâ government to avoid another civil war.

   Yasir  Arman  accused  the  dominant  National Congress Party (NCP) of
   rigging  the  vote that he says will pave the way for Mr. Bashir to be
   declared winner of the presidential election.

   âWe  signed a peace agreement and we donât want to go back to war. The
   SPLM  will  speak  to  the  implementation  of  the  agreement and the
   democratic transformation and justice in Darfur. The National Congress
   rigged  the  election in the north (and) we cannot do anything because
   this  is  a  huge  task  for the people in Sudan and the international
   community,  which accepted the rigging of the elections in the north,â
   he said.

   Several  opposition  groups,  including  the  SPLM  and the UMMA party
   boycotted the vote after claiming widespread fraud.

   Analysts  say  the  opposition  boycott  undermined the credibility of
   Sudanâs   five-day  elections  which  incumbent  President  Bashir  is
   expected to win.

   Yasir  Arman  denied  speculations  that  the  SPLM wants to work with
   Khartoum  because  it fears the NCP will impede the 2011 referendum in
   the south.

   âNo,  I  said  it is because we want to avoid war (but) not because of
   the referendum. The referendum came as a result of our peace agreement
   internationally  guaranteed and monitored. But the situation right now
   is that the elections were rigged in the north,â Arman said.

   Sudanâs  recent  election  is  the  first in 24 years after decades of
   civil war between the north and the south.

   Analysts  say  last  weekâs  vote  was  an  integral  part of the 2005
   Comprehensive  Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between President Bashirâs
   led government and the SPLM.

   Arman  said despite pulling out of the presidential election, the SPLM
   made significant gains during the vote.

   âThe  SPLM  boycotted  the  elections.  Despite  that  I  myself  as a
   candidate  for the SPLM for the presidential race, I brought more than
   90%  of  votes  in southern Sudan. This is a clear message to Khartoum
   that  southern Sudan needs new policies and that south Sudan needs the
   implementation  of  the  peace accord. Bashir got less than 10% in the
   south,  and now the National Congress is trying to massage this figure
   and go around it,â Arman said.

   He  further  said  that  the SPLM will continue to monitor the current
   situation   as   well   as   focus   on  the  demands  for  democratic
   transformation and the full implementation of the CPA.

   Poll  observers,  including  the  U.S.-based  Carter  Center  and  the
   European  Union stated in their preliminary reports that the elections
   failed to meet international standards.

.