SUDAN / ELECTION OBSERVERS REAX

International election observers say that Sudan's first multi-party elections in 24 years will fall short of meeting international standards. UNMIS

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:38
• Production Date: 19 April 2010
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS ASSISTANCE MISSION IN SUDAN - UNMIS
• Subject Topical: ELECTIONS
• Geographic Subject: SUDAN
• MAMS Id: U100419e

Description

STORY: SUDAN / ELECTION OBSERVERS REAX
TRT: 2:38
SOURCE: UNMIS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 17-18 APRIL 2010, KHARTOUM, SUDAN

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, press conference by European Union Chief Observer
2. Med shot, journalists
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Veronique de Keyser, Chief Observer, European Union Election Observation Mission:
“These elections have suffered from significant deficiencies but it has to be taken into account that the Sudan is immense in this and that. These elections are the first in 24 years.”
4. Wide shot, press conference by Jimmy Carter
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jimmy Carter, Head of the Carter Center and Former President of the United States:
“Although, like I said, it is too early to make a final judgment; it’s obvious that these elections will fall short of international standards that are normally expected of advanced democracies in the holding of elections. And Sudan’s obligations for genuine elections in many respects the people’s expectations have not been met. These elections are very important, as you know, and an integral step in the confirmation of fulfillment of a comprehensive peace agreement. And despite the observed weaknesses, which I will outline shortly, the elections are a CPA (Comprehensive Peace Agreement) benchmark.”
6. Wide shot, press briefing area of African Union (AU) Observer Mission
7. Various shot, people in press briefing room
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Ade-Kunle Adeyemi, Ambassador, African Union Observer Mission:
“To this end, the elections constitute an important milestone in the country’s democratization process. Given Sudan’s history, its current and immense challenges on many fronts, the just completed elections though imperfect are historic and are a building block for the future elections.”
9. Wide shot, press conference with The Independent Civil Society Network
10. Med shot, panel of the Independent Civil Society Network
11. Med shot, journalists at press briefing room
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Elbagir Alafif, Representative, Independent Civil Society Network:
“The overarching theme of the current elections is one of severe moral and professional failure by the NEC (National Elections Commission) which impaired it to manage fair and free elections. This failure happened despite the fact that the Commission is sitting on huge financial resources never granted to an elections management body in the history of the country.”
13. Wide shot, press briefing room with people

Storyline

International election observers said that Sudan’s first multi-party elections in 24 years will fall short of meeting international standards.

At a press conference, European Union Election Observation Mission’s (EU EOM) Chief Observer, Veronique de Keyser on Saturday (17 April) highlighted various preliminary findings of the EU EOM. She said that the “elections have suffered from significant deficiencies but it has to be taken into account that the Sudan is immense.”

The Mission deployed a total of 130 observers and visited 2286 polling centers throughout Sudan.

Head of the Carter Center and former United States (US) President Jimmy Carter, who also held a press conference on Saturday, said that although the “elections will fall short of international standards that are normally expected of advanced democracies in the holding of elections,” the elections play a crucial rule in the “fulfillment of a comprehensive peace agreement.”

The Carter Center deployed more than 70 observers in all 25 states in Sudan.

Echoing Carters remarks, the head of the African Union Observer (UN) Mission described as the elections as “imperfect” but “historic and a building block for future elections.”

Speaking on Sunday (April 18) at a press conference, AU Ambassador Ade-Kunle Adeyemi said the elections were an important milestone for Sudan’s democratization process.

The national elections, held from April 11-15, are one of the benchmarks of a negotiated peace deal signed in January 2005 between the Government of Sudan in Khartoum and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, the two former foes, to end a two-decade war between north and south Sudan.

A total of 16.5 million Sudanese registered to vote countrywide in Sudan’s first multi-party elections in 24 years.

Voters in north Sudan cast eight ballots and those in the south 12 ballots in what has been described as one of the most complex elections around the world.

A representative of the Independent Civil Society Network, Elbagir Alafif, said Sudan’s National Electoral Commission had failed to manage a free and fair election.

“The overarching theme of the current elections is one of severe moral and professional failure by the NEC which impaired it to manage fair and free elections. This failure happened despite the fact that the Commission is sitting on huge financial resources never granted to an elections management body n the history of the country,” said Alafif.

Some of Sudan’s opposition boycotted the elections citing irregularities in the electoral process, and lack of impartiality by the NEC. Opposition votes will be tallied despite their withdrawal because it took place after the legal deadline for withdrawing when the ballots were already printed.