NCP moves from 75% to 90% in referendum quorum

September 25, 2009 (JUBA), By James Gatdet Dak – The debate between the partners to the Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which aims to formulate the referendum law for the people of Southern Sudan remains heated as the National Congress Party (NCP) has extremely shifted from its initial position on the quorum of the required voters turn out.

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the NCP have been discussing for the last several months how the referendum law should look like that would regulate its conduct in January 2011.

In a press conference held in Juba on Friday, the Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan and Deputy Chairperson of the SPLM, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, said the NCP had shifted from its previous proposal of 75% of the required quorum of the would-be registered voters turn out to a more demanding position of 90% required to recognize the outcome of the referendum

Machar said his party has proposed 50% as the required quorum of the general voters turn out to recognize the exercise of the referendum.

“On the turn out quorum of the registered voters the NCP has moved from 75% to 90%, when we [SPLM] said, well, at least 50% of the registered voters, if that is done, then such a referendum should be recognized.”

The two parties also remain deadlock on the percentage of registered voters required to declare Southern Sudan an independent country. The SPLM has proposed 51% while the NCP proposed 75%.

Dr. Machar further added that the SPLM accepts only indigenous people of Southern Sudan to vote in the North and demands that any other person in the North that claims to trace his or her ancestry to the South Sudanese indigenous communities should only vote in the South after being verified by the respective local chiefs; a position rejected by the NCP.

Machar also said the SPLM has conceded to accept about eight locations in the Diaspora in which the indigenous people of Southern Sudan can also be allowed to vote in the referendum.

These locations include Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Egypt, USA, Australia, UK and Canada.

He said there are several other contentious issues among which include the post-referendum arrangements, which he said should be discussed in a separate forum according to his party’s position.

The post-referendum issues include discussions on what to do with the liabilities, assets, water, Joint Integrated Units (JIUs), oil, international agreements, etc. in case the South would vote for separation.

Machar stressed the need to discuss these issues separately after finalizing on the referendum law itself so that the parties are not booked down by the post-referendum discussions.

He said the post-referendum issues should not only concentrate on what to do in case the South separates but also what Sudan’s system should look like in case the South votes for unity, which he said should also involve re-structuring of the state itself.

“If it [referendum result] is unity, what form of unity should we be committed to because we all want to sell unity, making unity attractive? So we need to make it attractive even by re-structuring the state itself,” Machar explained.

“So these are issues which we should not be booked down with them now when we are discussing the referendum. We should discuss them separately. We in the SPLM are ready. We have also done our homework,” he continued.

Machar also added that the SPLM has presented its proposals on Abyei referendum and respective popular consultations for Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile and are awaiting the NCP’s response.

He further added that the two partners are also working on other national laws that would make democratic transformation of the country possible and create an enabling environment for free and fair elections in April 2010.

Source: http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article32580