South Sudan voter registration 'credible'

Carter Centre says voter registration process represents strong step toward successful conduct of referendum.

Middle East Online

No systematic attempts to undermine the process KHARTOUM - The registration of voters for a referendum on independence for south Sudan was "credible" despite a raft of logistical and security problems, observers from the Carter Centre said. "Observers reported that referendum centres generally opened on time and with appropriate materials across northern and southern Sudan, and that southern Sudanese have had adequate opportunities to register," the US-based group said in a statement posted on its website late on Wednesday. Organisers of the vote said almost three million people signed up during the three-week registration period that ended on December 8. "Although the voter registration... faced several logistical, procedural and security challenges, the process was generally credible and represents a strong step toward the successful conduct of the referendum," the Carter Centre said. The centre, founded by former US president Jimmy Carter, noted some security problems and "a few isolated incidents of intimidation" but stressed there were no "systematic attempts to undermine the process." "In the overwhelming majority of locations, registration was conducted in a peaceful environment, with the notable exceptions of security incidents in Akobo and Kiir Adem in southern Sudan," the statement said. The Carter Centre urged authorities in north and south to solve "key political issues" ahead of the January 9 referendum, including the question of the disputed oil district of Abyei and future citizenship arrangements should the south vote to break away. "It is critical that key political issues are resolved.... (particularly) the ambiguity surrounding the future of Abyei and the citizenship of nationals in both northern and southern Sudan, before the referendum," it said. The referendum was the centrepiece of a 2005 peace agreement between north and south that put an end to two decades of civil war, and could lead to the break-up of Africa's largest nation. Information Minister Kamal Obeid sparked a storm in September when he warned that southerners living in the north would no longer be citizens if the region opted for independence. A vote on whether Abyei joins an autonomous or independent south, or remains part of the north, had been due to take place on the same day as the referendum but Washington said earlier this month it would not be held on time. "Also important is the inclusion of the entire Sudanese population in the debates surrounding unity or secession," the Carter Centre said. "The possible secession of southern Sudan is an issue of critical significance to the future of the country, and all segments of Sudanese society should become actively engaged in the process," it said. The statement listed a series of "key issues... that should be addressed urgently to facilitate a smooth and peaceful referendum" -- particularly voter education. Observers from the Carter Centre monitored voter registration across Sudan and in eight nations where out-of-country registration took place.