Submitted by Angela Stephens
Voter registration began today in Sudan for the landmark referendum on self-determination for southern Sudan, which is scheduled to begin January 9. The referendum—a key provision of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended 22 years of war between northern and southern Sudan—will allow the people of southern Sudan to choose either to remain part of a unified Sudan or to secede and form an independent nation.
USAID is playing a key role in supporting this historic referendum process, including the purchase and delivery of voter registration books, cards, and training manuals that are now in use, conducting voter education to inform voters about the process, helping domestic organizations to observe the process, and supporting independent international observation of the process.
Slideshow of Voter Registration from Sudan
More than 5.4 million southern Sudanese are eligible to register, and there are nearly 3,000 registration centers in Sudan that will register voters through December 1. Registration of eligible voters is taking place in Sudan as well as eight other countries that have large populations of southern Sudanese—Australia, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Three American cities are hosting voter registration: Phoenix, Arizona; Omaha, Nebraska; and the Washington, DC, metro area.
It is great that the United States is supporting one of the final processes in the fight for Sudanese democracy. It will be interesting to see the voting results, particularly looking for a difference in voting trends from those within the country and those voting from other nations. The effects external politics have on the votes of Sudanese people will be useful to predicting the Sudan’s future as well as the nations that may have the largest impact on it as it moves forward.
It is great to see the registration is taking place according to the CPA and the commitments of the two partie.But meanwhile there are many challengies facing the Referendum and issues which have to be addressed before 9th of Jan.2011 So, it will be good if the International community can support the two political parties to address the boarder demarcation, security issues, citizenship and of course the wealth distribution in terms of natuural resources before the planned referendum… Those are very important issues and can’t be resolved after the outcome o the Referendum.. The international community needs to use its attractive diplomacy based on carrots and not the stick to put pressure on the parties to reach a meaningful deals for the sake of the whole Sudan…We are also in the north are very concern about the international interference on our future.. as the largest country in Africa..