African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies

ACJPS Records Continuing Violations in the Second Day of Voting

Contact: Osman Hummaida, Executive Director at
Phone: +447956095738
E-mail: osman@acjps.org

(13 April 2010) Following the second day of voting, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies noted that the National Elections Commission (NEC) had failed to solve many of the technical and procedural problems reported in the first day of voting. Although the NEC attempted to portray problems as isolated incidents, admitting problems in only 26 polling centres, reports from national observers and representatives of candidates indicate that the problems are widespread.

ACJPS has documented a number of abuses, including:

Delays in opening the polling centres: A polling centre in Aldaim Area was opened at 12:00PM rather than 8:00AM as stipulated by the NEC.
Irregularities in voters’ lists: The Osman Abashar Tayba Falatah Centre in constituency number 16 of Jazeera state had still not been provided its voter’s list on the second day of voting. In geographic constituency number 39, a polling centre at Alshaheed Altahir School, the voter’s list was missing all names starting with the letter L. In geographic constituency Um-Doum Al-dalang in South Kordofan, the voters list at the polling centre was completely different from the NEC approved list. In Kadguli in the Nuba mountains where the SPLM and other political forces have majority support, the number of voters on the list dropped from 38,000 at the end of the registration to 29,000 at the opening of the polls. Meanwhile, the Alrashad Area in South Kordofan, believed to have majority NCP support, had the number of the voters increased by 63,000 from the closing date of registration. In the Kalbos and Seriya constituencies in West Darfur, 200 names on the voter rolls were identified by local observers as individuals who had died years before the registration had taken place.
Inconsistent voting requirements: In constituency number 2 in central Omdurman, the director of the voting centre refused to permit individuals to use residency certificates as proof of identity, despite NEC’s position that these should be accepted. Although the use of these certificates has been controversial, it is important that standards be consistently applied.
Irregularities in ballot papers: The independent candidate Dawod Ahmed Eltahir, running in geographic constituency no 2, South East Elfashir Centre 19, Altaahiel Altarbawi area reported that he could not find his name or symbol on ballot paper and the NEC suspended the voting. In Soba and Albgogaa Alula constituencies, the symbols of candidates were incorrect. The SPLM and the Justice Party of Maki Ali Balayil believe that they have strong support in these constituencies. In addition, political party representatives were not allowed to watch ballot boxes at the voting centres, as provided for in the electoral procedure. In Alobied, centre number 16, the list of political parties list was not received at all. In geographic constituency number 34 of Umbada in Omdurman, the symbol of the independent candidate did not appear. In Wasat, constituency number 3, in Nyala, the symbol of the Popular Congress Party was missing from the ballot papers.
Denial of access by representatives of political candidates from the polling centres: In Touti centre, in geographic constituency number 27, an electoral official dismissed Nahla Sluiman Alameen and Mohamed Salih Rafai, representatives of the independent candidate for the national assembly seat Suliman Alameen. These two had objected to many violations to the rules of voting (these objections had included permitting mentally incompetent persons to vote and the granting of residency certificates without provision of identification or registration numbers), and their camera was broken. In the same centre, two representatives of political parties had been arrested on 11 April, including Mohamed Isam of the Popular Conference Party. 12 Beja Conference representatives were kidnapped in Haya, in eastern Sudan. The Beja candidate today filed a complaint with the Port Sudan police.
Irregularities in handling ballots: Polling boxes were not delivered to polling centres in Kawda and Buram in South Kordofan. In Constituency 8 of Jabra in south Khartoum, boxes were observed being handed over the wall of the polling centre by army officers who were not charged with elections duties. The Democratic Unionist Party candidate, Wagie Alla Mohamed Alhaj, withdrew from the race because of this incident, claiming that it was a clear attempt to rig the vote. The NEC acknowledged the incident, but described it as a mistake saying that the door was closed, which is why the boxes were moved over the wall of the centre. In El Geneina, a car without license plates carried away ten boxes of ballots without being accompanied by election officers or observers. The NEC claimed that this was a mistake.
Security harassment and arrest: Badr Aldein Abd Allah Alemam, a nationally accredited observer in Khartoum State, geographic constituency number 32 in the Suba Alazhary Alsalamah area was prevented by national security officers from entering the polling centre and beaten. The NEC later intervened and he was allowed to enter. Two female candidates from the Popular Congress Party in Jazeera State named Amira Elsir Hassan Ahmed and Alniamah Awad Shararah in constituency number 5 of Alhasahisa Central in the Wad Bahai area were arrested to prevent them from observing the voting, despite prior authorisation. Two political activists were arrested in West Darfur, Mohamed Bahar Aldin and Mohamed Abd Alfaraj. Bahar Aldin had reportedly participated in an interview with BBC three days earlier in which he was critical of the election and NEC. On Touti Island in central Khartoum, the Popular Congress Party reported that two of its observers were arrested by security forces.

While the ACJPS welcomes the decision by the NEC to extend voting for two days to address logistical problems, it underscored that these procedural violations are not the only indicators of that the elections are not free and fair. Restrictions on peaceful political activity in the run up to the elections, manipulation of the census and registration processes, and lack of opportunity for meaningful participation by opposition political parties are all issues that need to be urgently addressed. The Centre reiterates its call for reforms in the voting regime in order to facilitate political participation, reform the National Elections Commission, and rectify problems in the registration process. All of these factors have severely circumscribed access for some voters, and must be rectified in order to allow for elections in which the will of the Sudanese people can be clearly heard.