LANDSLIDE VOTE IN FAVOR OF SOUTH SUDAN SECESSION: SSRC

Polling officials count votes in Juba on January 15, 2011,

as polls closed in south Sudan’s landmark independence vote (AFP)

The South Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) today confirmed early indications that the plebiscite concluded last week is heading towards an overwhelming vote in favor secession.

The international community along with the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in the North have acknowledged the inevitability of South Sudan’s split well before even the voter registration started.

The NCP has accused the SPLM of orchestrating the registration to ensure that the outcome leans towards establishing a new state in the South.

According to the law, for the south to secede in a valid referendum, there must be an absolute majority of a minimum of 50 percent for independence plus one vote, and 60 percent of those eligible must also have cast their ballots.

The SSRC website stated that out of the 3,932,588 people inside and outside the country that registered for voting, 3,138,803 have chosen secession while 44,518 voted in favor of unity.

These figures are based on processing 100% of the votes in North Sudan and abroad as well as 83.4% of the votes in the South.

There were 5,972 blank votes so far and 7,745 invalid ones that were excluded from the calculation. The majority of states in South Sudan have a 99% pro-secession count so far. By contrast, only 58% of voters in North Sudan have opted for independence.

Within the North, only Southerners in South Darfur voted strongly in favor of unity. The SSRC’s deputy chairman Chan Reek Madut explained that to Reuters by saying that some people passed as Southerners when they were really Darfuris.

"They took advantage of the lack of security in the area. It won’t impact seriously on the result." Darfur is the scene of a seven-year conflict pitting rebels against the government.

The states of Jonglei, Northern Bahr El Ghazal, and Upper Nile have processed only 31%, 62% and 61% of the votes to date respectively. However, it is not expected that the full count will reveal any changes in the trend.

The NCP has declared in its leadership meeting this week headed by 2nd VP Ali Osman Taha that they would recognize the outcome of the referendum which is a key demand by Western nations to normalize ties and lift sanctions.

But the road to independence is far from rosy as the North and South have yet to agree on issues such as citizenship, oil sharing, water, national debt, borders and the contentious dispute over Abyei.

President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir has promised to resolve these items before the end of the interim period on July 9th, 2011.

Sudan Tribune