South Sudan's main party pulls out of elections

[April 20, 2010]  KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) -- Southern Sudan's main political party withdrew its candidate from the country's upcoming presidential election and announced it will not contest parliamentary polls in Darfur, an official said Thursday.

The surprise announcement from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement threatens to undermine the credibility of the April 11 vote, Sudan's first multiparty election in decades. It also comes as more than a dozen northern opposition parties and independent candidates consider a boycott amid concerns that alleged government control of the media and biased legislation make a fair vote impossible.

SPLM party spokesman told state radio Thursday the party's presidential candidate, Yassir Arman, will not run in the national race. Matthew also said the party will not contest parliamentary polls in the volatile region of Darfur, but stressed it will participate in the parliamentary election in the rest of Sudan's regions.

SPLM leaders made the decision to pull out of the contest late Wednesday because of "numerous violations" committed by President Omar al-Bashir's ruling party and "instability and state of emergency in Darfur," Matthew said.

The party is the junior partner in al-Bashir's governing coalition. The decision to boycott the polls throws its relations with the president's party into jeopardy.

The national and presidential elections are a crucial step in the 2005 north-south peace deal that ended a 21-year civil war and paves the way for a referendum when southerners would decide whether they will opt for secession from the Muslim-dominated north.

Some 2 million people died during the war. It is separate from the Darfur conflict which erupted in 2003 and has left 300,000 people dead. No comprehensive peace deal has been reached for Darfur.

Al-Bashir has already obtusely snubbed his southern partner, warning that the much-coveted 2011 referendum for southern Sudan is in danger if opposition parties press for postponing the elections.

The president's National Congress Party has been accused by opposition parties of using state resources, limiting their access to the media and controlling the independent National election commission, undermining their chances and the fairness of the process.

International observers and rights groups have said all signs point to a flawed process where the independent National Election Commission is unlikely to deliver a free and fair process and on time.

[Associated Press]

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