NEC rejects calls by Carter Center for a slight delay in Sudan elections

Saturday 20 March 2010
March 19, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudan National Elections Committee (NEC) denied any intention to move up the elections in line with an advice from a US based polls watchdog.
"Logistical preparations are straining the limited capacity of the NEC," the Carter Center said in a public statement. "With a series of delays and changes in polling procedures, a minor delay in polling for operational purposes may be required."
The Carter Center said "it is increasingly unclear if the NEC can deliver a successful election on time," citing limited NEC and UN transportation capacity, the massive volume of materials to be deployed, the re-packaging of materials necessitated by changes in the planned number of polling stations, voters per polling station, and delays in ballots production
But Abu-Bakr Waziri a media adviser to the NEC told the pro-government Al-Rayaam newspaper that the newly printed ballots have arrived and on their way to the polling stations.
Waziri said that 31 ton of voting slips arrived at the NEC storage houses in Khartoum and will be distributed in Northern states immediately with tight security. He pointed out that second batch will head to Juba on Friday to be transported to most of Southern states.
The Center’s statement urged the NEC to make a decision as quickly as possible about any delay in the election date "so that all stakeholders have time to adjust plans." Given the onset of the rainy season in Darfur and South Sudan in the months after the April 11 polling date, however, only a minor delay may be possible or advisable.
Opposition parties are widely expected to formally call for moving the elections date till next November citing lack of conducive environment though it is not clear which parties specifically will sign up for this.
They further accused the electoral commission of bias and protested a last minute change in executive posts ballot printing contracts from a Slovenian company to a Sudanese one in a print-house owned by the ruling National Congress party.
The Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) which signed an agreement last month with Khartoum have been pushing for a delay but the government said it is up to the NEC to make that call.
(ST)