Region | Sudan

Sudan elections likely to be postponed

National elections in Sudan may be delayed by at least six months, a senior southern official said, a development that could push back other elements of a peace accord between the country's north and south.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 00:30 September 12, 2008
  • Gulf News

Juba: National elections in Sudan may be delayed by at least six months, a senior southern official said, a development that could push back other elements of a peace accord between the country's north and south.

Luka Biong, the southern Minister for Presidential Affairs, said it would not be feasible to hold the elections before the agreed cut-off point of July 2009 because of heavy rains and logistical problems.

Vital element

Sudan's first democratic polls in 23 years are a vital element of the 2005 peace accord that ended more than two decades of conflict. It gave the south its own semi-autonomous government and promised political reform in Africa's largest country.

Any serious hold-up in the poll could undermine public confidence in the accord and delay parts of it, analysts said. "Practically, it won't be feasible to have them by July," Biong said.

His party, the south's Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), was considering calling a meeting with the northern National Congress Party to arrange a change in the date.

"We have a lot of reasons why it should be extended to the end of the year but this is subject to the approval of the two parties," he said. Torrential rains that normally fall around July could disrupt the polling process, Biong said.

More time was also needed to set up civic education sessions to prepare the public. There had also been delays in appointing the members of a National Electoral Commission.

  • Rate this article
  • Average reader rating (0 votes) 0 Stars
Tools

Emailing an article to friend is a simple way to share a news item. Your friend will receive an email with your name and email address as well any personal message you choose to send.

The information you provide on this page will not be used to send unsolicited emails.

This service is not intended to encourage spam, and action may be taken against individuals who maliciously enter personal details of another individual.

Share this article

More from Sudan

  1. flydubai starts service to Sudanese capital

  2. Bashir not to attend OIC summit in Istanbul

  3. Sudan parties report widespread poll fraud

  4. 'Iranians sold banned devices to Sudan'

All articles in Sudan

More from Region

Gulf News
Popular in News
News Editor's choice