NEC Deputy Denies Rumours of Chairman's Resignation

29 March 2010 - (Khartoum) – The National Elections Commission has denied media reports that the Commission's chairman, Abel Alier had resigned from his post on Friday.

Rumors circulated in Khartoum last week that Abel Alier resigned from his position and the post was vacant. Some Arabic newspapers also reported on Saturday that Alier resigned from the post.

However, the NEC deputy chairman and spokesperson, Prof. Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah, spoke to reporters following a meeting chaired by Alier on Saturday afternoon.

[Prof. Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah]: “Abel Alier is now chairing this meeting and I have come out of this meeting in order to address you and to brief you on the outcome of this meeting. This is what I would like to say, Dr. Abel Alier chaired this meeting as usual in the presence of all NEC members and the NEC is proceeding with its work as usual in line with the scheduled program and it is monitoring and following up all the processes and the different stages of the elections.”

Prof. Abdallah also announced that ballot papers and the election kits will be transported to all polling centers all over Sudan by 8 April.

[Prof. Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah]: “This meeting was dedicated to discussions on the on-going procedures for reception of elections materials coming from the United Kingdom and South Africa and the transportation of these needed materials for elections from Khartoum and Juba airports to the different states and from states to the polling stations. The meeting assured that all these procedures and all these materials will come directly to these airports and will also be transported directly from Khartoum and Juba airports to their destinations in the states and the polling centers. We are now sure that these election materials will have been delivered to various destination hopefully before 8 April so that elections can be conducted, as we have repeatedly said, on the 11, 12, and 13 April.”

Regarding the report by the Carter Center suggesting that the elections period be extended for one week, Professor Abdallah said the NEC is still studying the report and will respond soon.

[Prof. Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah]: “The Carter Center's report is undergoing scrutiny and today the NEC has not looked into it but the study has almost finished. Our way of dealing with observation centers at such stage is that we try to redouble our monitoring efforts and we will be able to talk with confidence when we reply to the Carter Center. But the Carter Center is still one of the centers observing the elections.”

Prof. Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah, the NEC deputy chairman, was addressing the press in Khartoum on Saturday.