Fri, Apr 16, 2010 page6

• Sudanese president’s party reaches out to opposition

  • AFP AND REUTERS
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  Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s party reached out to the opposition on Wednesday in a bid to save the credibility of a landmark vote boycotted by its key challengers.

  The National Congress Party (NCP) said it wanted to include opposition groups in a future government should it win Sudan’s first competitive elections in two decades that were scheduled to end yesterday.

  Presidential adviser Ghazi Salaheddin said that, “given the challenges facing the nation,” the NCP was interested in “our government being as inclusive as possible.”

  “If we are declared winners ... we would extend the invitation to all parties, even those who have not participated in the elections, because we believe this is a critical moment in our history,” Salaheddin told reporters.

  The credibility of the election had been dented by a boycott of the opposition, including by the heavyweight Umma party that won the 1986 elections.

  The southern former rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), a partner in the national unity government, also boycotted the election in parts of the country and withdrew its presidential candidate.

  Asked if he believed the political groups boycotting the vote would be willing to join the NCP in a government, Salaheddin said he thought it would be “in their interest.”

  “If the elections are recognized by international players and international institutions, that would mean that the government is recognized,” Salaheddin said. “If they decide not to join the government, not to heed the offer, they would be isolating themselves from the process. I think any politician in his right mind would not decline such an offer.”

  The opposition boycott was announced after ballot papers were printed, leaving open the possibility for individual candidates to stand anyway and win in their constituencies despite their party’s decision to pull out.

  The election, Sudan’s first multi-party vote since 1986, is a prelude to a referendum next year on southern independence.

  “We are facing an important decision like self-determination in the south and we would like to garner as much support and as much consensus as we can,” Salaheddin said.

  Salaheddin accused the International Crisis Group, which said in a report last month that the NCP was rigging the election, of being “politicized” and the Brussels-based think tank would not be allowed to do research in the country.

  The African Union (AU) on Wednesday praised the conduct of the polling.

  “The organization of elections in Africa is a difficult process. Sudan is no exception,” AU Commission President Jean Ping said.

  Election results are not expected before Tuesday.

  Meanwhile, the ruling party said yesterday that the southern army had killed nine of its officials.

  “Three days ago at night some [southern army] soldiers came to the home of the president of the National Congress Party in Raja and killed him, and eight other people — they are also members of the NCP,” said Agnes Lokudu, head of the northern-dominated NCP in south Sudan.

  Raja is in Western Bahr al-Ghazal State in south Sudan.

  Lokudu said the killings were politically motivated by anger that many people in the area had voted for the NCP.

  The SPLM denied the involvement of the separate south Sudan army.

  “This was a crime of passion to do with a wife — a feud that led to a shooting between the husband and lover,” said Suzanne Jambo, head of the SPLM’s external relations office. “This is not political.”
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