Sudan Main
Oppositions Quit Polls
Nearly
all opposition parties in Sudan have joined the southern SPLM in
boycotting this month's presidential poll over fraud and
security fears.
The boycott is seen as a major blow to the credibility of the
11th -13th April election, the first national multi-party
poll for 24 years.
The announcement comes after crisis talks hosted by US envoy
Scott Gration.
President Omar al-Bashir, wanted for alleged war crimes in
Darfur, now faces only one major challenger, veteran Islamist
leader Hassan al-Turabi, who has confirmed that candidates from
his Popular Congress Party would contest the poll.
The Umma party of former Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, the
Democratic Unionist Party and the Communist party have all said
they will no longer participate.
The other contenders would be independents or candidates from
small parties, meaning that the election, at least, would
represent only one part of the diverse Sudanese political scene.
Reasons for opting out
The opposition parties and the Sudan People's Liberation
Movement (SPLM) - which serves in a coalition at national level
with President Omar al-Bashir - all believe the electoral
process has been rigged in favour of his National Congress
Party.
They say the registration process has been flawed, and their
access to state media and rights to hold rallies restricted.
SPLM presidential candidate Yassir Arman announced on Wednesday
that he was pulling out of the election.
He also cited a lack of preparedness for the election in the
Darfur region, where a rebellion has been taking place since
2003.
Boycott at referendum expense
President Bashir has threatened to cancel a promised referendum
on independence for the South if the SPLM boycotts the poll.
However the SPLM and Western countries have said that the
referendum and the election are separate issues, which should
not be linked.
The SPLM joined the unity government in 2005 as part of a peace
deal ending a two-decade civil war.
About 1.5 million people were reported to have died in
the conflict between the mainly Muslim North and the South,
where most people are Christian or follow traditional beliefs.
BBC/Yinka
