Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) - Sudanese elections confirmed the two "strong men" of the country, the President of Sudan Omar Al Bashir and President of the autonomous government of Southern Sudan, Silva Kiir.
Al Bashir has received 68% of the 10 million votes cast, while in the South, Kiir was confirmed as President with 93% of the votes. The result was widely expected because Al Bashir and Kiir had reached an informal agreement under which the first did not hinder the re-election of the second in Southern Sudan and Kiir withdrew his candidate for President of Sudan and did not present their candidates in local regions North constituency, the electoral stronghold of the Head of State.
Various international organizations and some opposition parties have denounced fraud and irregularities in vote, but other international observers have stressed that there were no serious clashes or violence during the five days of elections, held in an apparently peaceful manner. For these reasons, the former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his team of election observers have for the most part accepted the results, although they have found serious irregularities in the vote and have declared that the elections do not meet "international standards."
According to some experts on Sudanese issues, beyond the existence of possible fraud, Al Bashir still enjoys a popular following by improving living conditions in some areas of the country, thanks to oil revenues. However, the major oil deposits are located in Southern Sudan or in areas still contested by North and South Sudan.
The country's future is uncertain for two reasons: the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against President Al Bashir, who is accused of crimes against humanity committed in Darfur, and the referendum on Southern Sudan, which will be held in 2011.
Al Bashir cannot travel abroad (except in some countries of the Middle East and Africa) as he runs the risk of being arrested and extradited to The Hague (headquarters of the ICC). Regarding the referendum, the outcome of recent elections shows that the country is already divided politically between the North, ruled by Al Bashir and his party, and the South, administered by the SPLM (Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement). The two parties are for now cooperating in the exploitation of oil (which is exported from Port Sudan in the north). If, as likely, the South becomes independent, it would open a debate on the allocation of oil resources (as well as the waters of the Nile, a topic which interests Egyptians). The independence of Southern Sudan is also feared by other African countries, who fear a “domino effect” on other regions of the continent that could want to claim independence. (L.M) (Agenzia Fides 27/04/2010)
