Muslim opposition leader says SPLM''s election boycott a mistake скачать в хорошем качестве

Muslim opposition leader says SPLM''s election boycott a mistake

(1 Apr 2010) SHOTLIST 1. Various high views of Khartoum 2. Street scene 3. Close up of Sadiq Al Mahdi, leader of the opposition Mahdi Umma Party and presidential candidate 4. Sadiq Al with party leaders 5. Mohamed Osman Al-Mirghani, leader of the opposition Democratic Unionist Party walking 6. Cutaway 7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hassan Al-Turabi, Leader of the Popular Congress Party: "I mean there are doubts because they want the elections right away now, and the (inaudible) process they want to reform, what could they do, they''re asking the question, (inaudible) what can we do to reform the process and better it. It will never become perfect, but at least to improve, to advance towards new legislators, new governors perhaps, we don''t know whether there will be a new president at all actually, but they will go along with the Darfur issue I mean to finish it and with the southern issue until the referendum is over." 8. Exterior of Rotana Salam Hotel where opposition parties met 9. Exterior of the SPLM (Sudan Peoples'' Liberation Movement) headquarters 10. Various of people reading newspapers STORYLINE Southern Sudan''s main political party has withdrawn its candidate from the country''s upcoming presidential election, a surprise move that erodes the credibility of the nation''s first multiparty election in decades. The Sudan People''s Liberation Movement (SPLM) pulled Yassir Arman - widely considered the most serious challenger to President Omar al-Bashir''s re-election bid - from the race late on Wednesday. The party also announced that it will not field candidates in the volatile Darfur region for local or nationwide parliamentary elections being held at the same time as the presidential vote. The announcement comes as more than a dozen northern opposition parties and independent candidates also consider a boycott of the 11 April vote amid concerns that alleged government control of the media and biased legislation make a fair vote impossible. The decision was made as the US envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, arrived in Khartoum late on Wednesday. Gration was holding talks on Thursday with political leaders in Khartoum about the upcoming vote, US Embassy spokeswoman Judith Ravin said. SPLM party spokesman Yien Matthew said party officials planned to meet with Gration for talks aimed at warding off a crisis 10 days ahead of the country''s first multi-party elections in 26 years. Matthew said the party decided late on Wednesday to withdraw Arman from the presidential race and withdraw candidates from the votes in Darfur because of what he called numerous violations committed by al-Bashir''s ruling National Congress Party and instability and state of emergency in Darfur. The party will still participate in local and parliamentary elections in the rest of Sudan''s regions, he said. Matthew said the party is in talks with other opposition groups and warned they could decide in unison for a total election boycott within days. The SPLM is the junior partner in al-Bashir''s governing coalition, and the party''s boycott throws its relations with the president''s party into jeopardy. However, Arman was considered al-Bashir''s most serious challenger in the presidential race. Meanwhile Hassan Al Turabi, a leading Muslim opposition leader described the SPLM''s decision to boycott the presidential elections as a mistake. 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. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...