President Al Bashir wins Sudan Elections
President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has won another term as President of Sudan, an oil-rich country in east Africa. His win has angered the west, the response in Sudan is a little more nuanced .Global Information Network writes:
Al-Bashir won 68 percent of the votes. Under electoral law, he needed to surpass 50 percent to avoid a run-off election against his nearest competitor.
A parallel vote to elect the president of the semi-autonomous south was won by the incumbent, Salva Kiir with 93 per cent of southern votes.
The men will renew their coalition government, as the country moves towards a referendum on independence for the south due next January.
The victory was called “fraudulent”, “marred” and a win for a war-crimes suspect (al-Bashir) in western media reports. But according to Sudanese writer Nesrine Malik, writing in the Guardian newspaper, the Sudanese election didn’t need fraud.
“People are starting to accept that Bashir, 20 years after coming to power via a military coup, has established himself as the only choice for president,” Malik wrote, citing the last minute withdrawals by candidates Yasir Arman and Sadiq al-Mahdi.
“…There is an entire generation that knows nothing but Bashir. They grew up in a Sudan shaped, culturally and socially by the Bashir’s party… In Khartoum, most people are just grateful to be able to eat out in the plethora of new restaurants and go about their business without fear of a curfew guillotine or security forces.”
Commenting for the New York-based Human Rights Watch, Africa director Georgette Gagnon said: “Our concerns go beyond technical irregularities. Bashir belongs in The Hague responding to the serious charges against him (concerning alleged war-crimes in Darfur), for which victims have still seen no accountability.”
Nevertheless, Pres. Al-Bashir found a warm welcome in Egypt one day after his electoral victory. The presidents of the two nations have been allies for years.
Listen to our report, featuring voices from Sudan, just hours after the vote ended, to find out how people in that nation felt about their Democracy.
Share on Facebook Read MoreSudan Elections Redux
So, the international community questions the standard of the recent elections in Sudan. What expectations did the people of Sudan have of the first multi party elections in over two decades?
Hear what one Sudani Sudani election observer told Christabel, in audio, featured in the short video (below), which also features on the ground pics of the vote. Then LISTEN to the rest of Christabel’s interview with the election observer (who could only speak on condition of anonymity) in the latest edition of ‘Home, from Home’
We’ve had wonderful feedback from our piece on Sudan, from members of the Sudani Diaspora community. That’s one of the great things about what we do, we get to hear from the people know live the experience.
… And note, we’re no longer saying Sudanese! Don’t worry, apparently, you can use the Arabic ‘Sudani’ or the more westernised ‘Sudanese’. But we figured when in Rome Khartoum…
Photo Credits: Fatma Naib (http://flickr.com/photos/fatmanaib)
AP (Amr Nabil, Khalil Senosi, Nasser Nasseri, Pete Muller)
Music ‘Vote’, by Alsarah ft Oddisee.
RIP Keith ‘Guru’ Elam
Legendary MC Keith ‘Guru’ Elam, passed away on April 19,2010. There are way too many classic songs by him to cite — either with GangStarr or as a solo artist. Here’s one, ‘No Time To Play, (feat DC Lee, from the Jazzmatazz Vol. 1 EP (1993):
LISTEN: Sudan Elections, What Next? and Kenyan Author David Kenney
ON THE APRIL 19 EDITION OF HOME FROM HOME
Sudan holds it’s first democratic election since 1986. How did the vote go and will it provide safety and security for everyone? Christabel Nsiah-Buadi talked with a Sudanese election observer (who could only speak on condition of anonymity) just as polls closed. Political analyst, Aly Verjee provided the historic, national and international context.
The HFH One on One interview: Kenyan author David Ngaruri Kenney, co author of the book, Asylum Denied: A Refugees Struggle For Safety In America tells Christabel how his speaking out for the rights of tea farmers in Kenya led to near execution, torture and political exile from his homeland. He also says why he thinks his story is the story of the African Diaspora, and the story of immigrants all over the world.
FEATURED SONG EXCERPTS:
Crossover (Commercialism), by Wunmi (‘A.L.A/documented gb), 2007
Emotions, by Ty (‘Special Kind of Fool’/bbe), 2010
A.L.A, by Wunmi (‘A.L.A/documented gb), 2007
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HfH Thank Yous: Tom Rhodes at the Committee to Protect Journalists and Milton Allimadi at Black Star News!
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