Sudan said today that national elections scheduled for this weekend will take place as planned and they will be "fair, transparent and democratic.", according to dpa. But the United Nations held different views about the organization of the April 11-13 balloting for a new president, members of the National Assembly and the country's 25 legislative bodies. The UN said the Khartoum government was not ready to hold the nationwide elections, the first since 1986, because it failed to educate the voters, ensure security and equip voting stations. "We feel very proud about the transformation of the country and our (election) plan is now coming into reality," said Sudanese Ambassador Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad. "We have no crisis at all," he said. "The crisis is within the political parties and not with the government. Everything is set for a fair, transparent and democratic elections which will make the Sudanese proud." The UN Security Council debated behind closed doors a fresh UN report on Sudan's lack of preparations for the elections. US Ambassador Susan Rice told reporters what she heard inside the council chamber was "quite disturbing." Rice denounced Khartoum's clampdown on freedom of the press, of speech and assembly while the international community had hoped that the elections would be a milestone in the implementation of a comprehensive peace agreement Khartoum signed with Southern Sudan in 2005. "Unfortunately, the trends on the ground are very disturbing and we will judge the elections on the basis on whether they will provide the opportunity for the people of Sudan to adequately express their political will that meets international standards," she told reporters. The European Union decided on Wednesday not to send independent observers to Darfur because of insecurity. Reports said the country's largest opposition, the Umma party, decided on Thursday not to take part in the elections citing insecurity and possible fraud. The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) of Southern Sudan reportedly has decided boycott the balloting in Sudan's north. Japan's UN Ambassador Yukio Takasu, the council president, said "several" members expressed concern about the conduct of the elections. Takasu said the council will closely watch the polls, but refused to be drawn into discussion whether they should be postponed until preparations have met UN standards on elections. The UN said that before Thursday, there are 12 candidates from different parties running for president, including incumbent Omar al- Bashir. In the legislative elections, there are 4,471 candidates for seats in 25 State Legislative Assemblies, which include the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly. There are also 2,317 candidates for the National Assembly's 270 seats. The UN report said police in Southern Sudan have limited capability to handle the polling, lack an overall level of training and lack enough vehicles and communication equipment, which will pose a challenge to the southern government's ability to provide security. Sudan's electoral body had decided to set up a polling station if there are 1,200 voters assigned to it. But the report said such a high number of voters for one station would pose a significant challenge in terms of time allocated for voting and whether the ink supplied to each station to mark voters would be sufficient. "Despite efforts made thus far, voter education remains an enormous challenge given the size of Sudan, the large number of first-time voters, the security environment in some areas and restrictions placed on civil society," the report said.
