Haile Menkerios

The new head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS) reiterated today his call for the national elections to be carried out next month as scheduled, but stressed that any decision to delay should be made entirely by Government officials and the electoral institution.

“Elections need to take place according to timelines subscribed by the CPA [Comprehensive Peace Agreement], and they have to be conducted in a conducive atmosphere to ensure a free and fair process,” said Haile Menkerios today in Khartoum, in his first press conference since becoming the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and head of UNMIS.

“The CPA, however, is an agreement by the two Parties. And should the two Parties decide whether to have the elections on time or should they want to postpone them for a time, it is up to them,” the Special Representative added.

He also told reporters that it was his understanding that the presidency would meet on Tuesday to review a request by political parties for postponement of the elections currently scheduled to take place from 11 to 13 April.

The national elections, the first of their kind in 24 years, are seen as a benchmark in the implementation of the peace agreement, which was signed in 2005 to end the long-running north-south civil war in Sudan.

Voters will be able to choose a national president, a southern president, local and national assemblies, and governors.

The next major benchmark in implementation of the CPA would be a referendum next year on southern secession.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Menkerios stressed that the elections are a Sudanese process led by the governments and the National Elections Commission (NEC), with the UN providing only technical assistance and limited logistical support – as mandated by the Security Council – to the authorities staging the ballot.

“The election in all its aspects is a totally nationally owned process,” he said.

UNMIS, in cooperation with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and donors, has provided technical assistance in voter registration through its Electoral Assistance Division, and advice on operational planning.

The UN mission has also been involved in intensive election security training, instructing almost 24,000 police officers, close to 17,000 in the north and over 7,000 in the south.

“While the responsibility to provide security during elections lies with the Governments of National Unity, and the Government of Southern Sudan in its area, our peacekeeping forces will also assist in enhancing security in areas where threats of armed confrontation may exist,” Mr. Menkerios said.

Mr. Menkerios also stressed that the UN does not have a monitoring role in the elections. That role will be filled by various independent observer groups, both international and national, accredited by the NEC that will perform monitoring functions and report accordingly.

When asked what he thought of the decision to print electoral ballots at the National Printing Press in Khartoum, which is being criticized by some opposition activists, Mr. Menkerios said that decision rests solely with the NEC.

As well as UNMIS, the UN is involved in another peacekeeping operation in the country. (UNAMID) is a joint operation with the African Union in Darfur, the western region of Sudan.

KHARTOUM, March 23 - According to Sudanese News Agencies, a visiting delegation from the European Union (EU) assigned to participate in the monitoring of Sudan’s elections next month has been briefed on the security plans worked out by the Khartoum State’s Police to ensure security for the polls.

The briefing was given when the Director of the Emergency and Operations Department of Khartoum State Police, General Al-Tayeb Babiker, met here Monday with the EU delegation. He briefed the delegation on the election security plans for all the candidates and political organizations.

The head of the delegation said that their views concentrated on the technical requirements for the elections process, indicating that they would not interfere in the elections.

In mid-March the European Commission announced that Véronique de Keyser, Member of the European Parliament, will lead 130 EU observers to assess pre-election preparations and campaign all over Sudan, voting, counting and tabulation of the results of the Election Days, as well as the post-election period.

To do so a first Team of experts arrived in the country at the end of February. The experts will soon be joined by a first wave of Long Term Observers (LTOs) and a second wave of Short Term Observers (STOs). In addition, the mission will be reinforced by a delegation of Members of the European Parliament for the election period.

The EU EOM does not present partial conclusions on Election-Day but comprehensive recommendations, based on exhaustive facts and information, once the entire process is over.

Therefore, the mission will stay in the country after the elections in order to present its first conclusions once the post election period is closed. The EU EOM is the largest international observer group in Sudan for these elections. The EU also contributed financially to their preparation.

Following the signature of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, an amount of €500m was provided by the EU in development aid in addition to €640m in humanitarian aid since 2003.