Khartoum to Host South Sudan Referendum Commission

By James Gatdet Dak

June 21, 2009 (JUBA) — Sudan’s federal capital, Khartoum, is agreed by the two parties to the 2005’s peace deal to be the seat of the would-be established commission for Southern Sudan referendum.

Soldiers stand to attention behind a SPLM flag The Joint High Executive Political Committee between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has been discussing, in Khartoum, the draft law which shall regulate the conduct of referendum in Southern Sudan due to take place in 2011.

The main issues being discussed include the seat of the Referendum Commission, its chairmanship, composition of the Commission, voter definition and qualification and voting centers.

The Acting Spokesperson and Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Madut Biar, said the Council of Ministers meeting, chaired by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, was briefed on the referendum law debates on Friday by the Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, who chairs the component of the SPLM Joint Committee.

Machar co-chairs the Joint Committee with Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, Vice President of the Republic of Sudan.

Biar said the Vice President briefed the cabinet on the status of discussions on referenda bills for Southern Sudan and Abyei as well as popular consultations bills for Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile.

Biar further added that the SPLM committee also discussed the North-South border demarcation process and the need to implement the two-window system of the Bank of Sudan - Islamic and Conventional windows for North and South, respectively.

On the Southern Sudan referendum bill the two parties had reached an agreement or re-affirmed that the Commission should be based in Khartoum.

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