The United States envoy to the United Nations on Thursday cited “disturbing trends” that could mar the outcome of Sudan’s first multiparty vote in two decades, but her Sudanese counterpart said the vote would go ahead as planned.
US envoy Susan Rice said a briefing of the Security Council by top UN peacekeeper Alain Le Roy reinforced “longstanding concerns” about Sudanese government restrictions on political freedoms, harassment of the media and limitation of access to polling stations, particularly in western Darfur province.
“Unfortunately the trends on the grounds are very disturbing” ahead of the balloting, which begins Sunday, Rice told reporters after the meeting.
Rice also noted that a decision of the European Union to withdraw its observers from Darfur also underscored “how insecure and problematic the electoral process is in that portion of the country and elsewhere”.
But Sudan’s UN envoy, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, insisted that there was “no electoral crisis” and said the polls would go ahead as planned.
He said the Sudanese people “feel very proud that the moment for democratic transformation of the country for which the government committed itself is now a reality”.
“Everything is set for a fair, democratic and transparent election that everybody in the Sudan will be proud about,” the Sudanese envoy said.
He advised EU observers “not to send signals that may affect the mood of the elections”.
‘All the preparations have been completed’
Earlier on Thursday, Sudan’s national election commission said the vote will start on Sunday as scheduled, putting to rest the question of a possible delay.
“All the preparations have been completed and all the states are ready for the electoral process,” Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah, the commission’s vice-chairperson, told reporters.
“The election will start on Sunday as scheduled,” he said after the commission’s delegations had submitted their reports on preparations across the country.
Several opposition groups had asked for an election delay, amid allegations of fraud by President Omar al-Bashir’s National Congress Party.
On Monday, Washington said a delay would be acceptable if it helped address concerns.
The commission’s insistence the vote would go ahead as planned on April 11 to 13 prompted some opposition parties, including heavyweight Umma, to announce an election boycott. — Sapa-AFP