سيناريو الانتخابات القادمة : لن يفرح المؤتمر الوطني كثيراً

Quote: Quote: WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States on Monday urged Sudan to immediately lift restrictions on political parties and indicated it would accept a short delay in landmark elections if it helped address concerns. "The United States is concerned by the troubling developments, including serious restrictions on political freedoms, which have led to the ongoing uncertainties" on the election, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said. "It is important for the government of Sudan immediately to lift restrictions on political parties and civil society," he told reporters. Sudan "must also ensure that all voters are able to participate in the election by improving conditions on the ground, including in Darfur and elsewhere, and by providing meaningful access polling places." Sudan's electoral commission has insisted the April 11-13 vote will go ahead on schedule despite threats by opposition parties to boycott the first elections since 1986. The US envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, said Saturday after meeting members of the electoral commission, that he was confident the elections would be as "free and fair as possible" and would start on time. But Crowley said that while Gration was "working hard" to encourage better conditions, it may be preferable to delay the election slightly. "We recognize that there may well be a need for a brief delay," Crowley said. "But that to be something that is done so that Sudan can make the kind of improvements and address the legitimate concerns that the parties have." A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a brief delay would mean no more than around a month. A raft of parties, including the Umma party of former premier Sadiq al-Mahdi, on Friday gave the government four days to implement key reforms before they would agree to take part in the poll, which they insisted be delayed until May. The Umma party demanded a freeze of what it said were "repressive security measures" and fair access to the state media, as well as public funding and a commitment to Darfuri representation in the presidency. Crowley told reporters: "We will judge these elections on whether they reflect the will of the Sudanese people, whether they meet international standards. We currently see disturbing trends in both areas." On Wednesday, Yasser Arman, the presidential candidate for the former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement, withdrew from the race after President Omar Beshir ruled out delaying the vote. "I took the decision to withdraw for two reasons. Firstly, after having campaigned in Darfur, I realized that it was impossible to hold elections there due to the current state of emergency," he told AFP. "Secondly, there are irregularities in the electoral process which is rigged." Access remains difficult in western Darfur, where 300,000 people have died since 2003 in a war between ethnic rebels and the Khartoum government