Sudan’s decisions and implications: The elections and the referendum

This forum was co-hosted by AISA and the Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD) on 8 June 2010. The objective of the event was to examine the outcome of the Sudanese elections. The 2010 election results gave President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the leader of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) a new mandate. His two main contenders Yasir Arman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and Sadiq al-Mahdi of the Umma party withdrew from the race. Salva Kiir Mayardit, the leader of the SPLM contesting only for the presidency of South Sudan, received 93% of the vote. The polls drew mixed feeling with some observers arguing that they were not free and fair (both in the north and south). As Sudan moved towards the January 2011 referendum on self-determination for the South, most people were beginning to doubt the legitimacy of the elections and the electoral commission and whether the referendum will be free and fair. There were presentations from the Ambassador of Sudan and a representative of the government of South Sudan.