The first
UNMIS Electoral Assistance team recently
set off for various states in Southern
Sudan on a week-long mission to assess
infrastructure, logistics and location
of voting centres.
The five-member group left Juba on
9 and 10 March for Rumbek, Wau, Malakal,
and Yambio. Pre-assessment of voting
condition is vital in Africa’s
largest country, with its poor physical
communications and tremendous logistical
challenges.
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(CPA) as well as the National and
Southern Sudan Interim Constitutions
call for national, Government of Southern
Sudan (GoSS) and state executive and
legislative elections to be held in
July 2009.
In addition, both interim constitutions
call for states to prepare local elections,
although no timeline is specified.
Sudan has a population of roughly
35 million people and an eligible
voting population probably exceeding
20 million.
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Elections have
been a vital part of democratic
transitions and UN-supported peace
agreements ending civil wars around
the globe. During the 1990s, the
UN organized or observed landmark
elections and popular consultations
in East Timor, South Africa, Mozambique,
El Salvador and Cambodia.
Most recently,
the UN has provided technical assistance
in milestone elections in countries
including Afghanistan, Burundi,
the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Haiti, Iraq, Liberia and Solomon
Islands.
The UN’s
Electoral Assistance Division is
responsible for coordinating activities
of the UN system in the field of
electoral assistance. The Division
advises and assists the Under-Secretary-General
for Political Affairs, who serves
as the focal point for UN electoral
assistance activities.
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About UNMIS