SUDAN / SOUTHERN KORDOFAN ELECTION

Voting in Sudan's troubled southern Kordofan closed today amid concerns about the deterioration of security in the State. Earlier this week, UN Special Representative Haile Menkerios visited the region calling for local authorities to ensure security "so that people could freely express their wish through the freedom of casting their ballots." UNMIS

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:39
• Production Date: 4 May 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS ASSISTANCE MISSION IN SUDAN - UNMIS
• Subject Topical: COMMUNICATIONS; MASS MEDIA; ELECTIONS
• Geographic Subject: SUDAN
• MAMS Id: U110504g

Description

STORY: SUDAN / KORDOFAN ELECTION
TRT: 2:39
SOURCE: UNMIS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGAUGES: ARABIC / NATS

DATELINE: 2 MAY 2011, KADUGLI, SOUTHERN KORDOFAN, SUDAN

Shotlist

1. Various shots, voters making queues to vote
2. Med shot, voters looking at voter list
3. Med shot, SPLM candidate Abduazize Alhelo with poling staff
4. Med shot, SPLM candidate behind voting screen marking ballot
5. Med shot, SPLM candidate casting vote
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdulaziz al-Hilu, Candidate for Governor, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement:
“The comprehensive peace made it possible for the State and Sudan to have a chance of peace, equality, unity, permanent peace with power sharing through of practising the election.”
7. Wide shot, voters on queues
8. Med shot, National Congress Party candidate voting
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmed Harun, Candidate for Governor, National Congress Party:
“We are now shifting from bullets to the ballot box and this is the one of important and peaceful exercises. I urge all the citizens in the State to accelerate their participation in the voting process quietly and peacefully in full coherence. Despite the election fever the humanitarian, social and ethical relations among the people is going on.”
10. Med shot, women queuing
11. Med shot, women standing
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Jamelah Ali Koko, Voter:
“We do not like more fighting for this reason we have to come to explain that we are not satisfied here, there is water shortage and since our grandfathers we are not satisfied at all.”
13. Wide shot, a number of people standing

1 MAY 2011, KADUGLI, SOUTHERN KORDOFAN, SUDAN

14. Med shot, UN Special Representative Haile Menkerios meeting with candidates for Governor
15. Wide shot, Menkerios leaving the meeting
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Haile Menkerios, Special Representative in Sudan, United Nations:
“I’ve talked to the two candidates and the security committee that there is tension in the State. And that everything should be done to ensure the security of the elections so that people could freely express their wish through the freedom of casting their ballots.”
17. Med shot, Menkerios with journalists

Storyline

Voting in Sudan’s troubled southern Kordofan closed today (4 May) amid concerns about the deterioration of security in the region.

Elections in the region, due to have taken place concurrently with national elections in April 2010, were postponed over disputes arising from the census conducted in 2008.

On the first day of elections (2 May), voters started queuing as early as 8 a.m. in about 666 different polling centres in 32 constituencies around the state. Preliminary results are expected to be announced by 15 May.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdulaziz al-Hilu, Candidate for Governor, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement:
“The comprehensive peace made it possible for the State and Sudan to have a chance of peace, equality, unity, permanent peace with power sharing through of practising the election.”

Business in the state capital Kadugli was closed for much of the morning as people thronged polling centres to cast their votes. Shops and restaurants begun to open again halfway through the day, as voters returned from polling centres.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmed Harun, Candidate of NCP for the post of governor:
“We are now shifting from bullets to the ballot box and this is the one of important and peaceful exercises. I urge all the citizens in the State to accelerate their participation in the voting process quietly and peacefully in full coherence. Despite the election fever the humanitarian, social and ethical relations among the people is going on.”

Foreign diplomats including the United Nations Special Representative in Sudan Haile Menkerios arrived in Southern Kordofan ahead of the polling and appealed for calm and for free and fair elections.

While in the region, Menkerios met with candidates for the governor position, Ahmed Harun and Abdulaziz al-Hilu, as well as the security committee on 1 May and called for a peaceful and democratic election.

SOUNDBITE (English) Haile Menkerios, Special Representative in Sudan, United Nations:
“I’ve talked to the two candidates and the security committee that there is tension in the State. And that everything should be done to ensure the security of the elections so that people could freely express their wish through the freedom of casting their ballots.”

In the last month, intensive voter education throughout the state was carried out by local civil society organizations with grants from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and overseen by the UN Integrated Referendum and Electoral Division (UNIRED) state team.