Activists dismayed at US reaction to Sudan polls

Activist groups called here Tuesday for the administration of President Barack Obama to hold the Sudanese government accountable for what the White House itself called "serious irregularities" in carrying out the past week's elections. "President Obama must lead world leaders to not recognize (President Omar al-) Bashir as a legitimately elected leader and to press for meaningful steps towards political freedom in Sudan in the run-up to next year's referendum to determine independence for South Sudan," said Mark Lotwis, acting president of the Save Darfur Coalition, in one of a series of statements issued by various groups expressing disappointment with Washington's reaction to the vote. That reaction came in the form of a statement issued by the White House early in the day that noted a number of major deficiencies in the electoral process as reported by international observers but did not hint at any punitive action against Bashir, who, despite his indictment by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges, is likely to win in a landslide, according to the official count of early returns. "The elections held recently in Sudan were an essential step in a process laid out by Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)," the White House said. "The United States notes the initial assessment of independence electoral observers that Sudan's elections did not meet international standards. Political rights and freedoms were circumscribed throughout the electoral process, there were reports of intimidation and threats of violence in South Sudan, ongoing conflict in Darfur did not permit an environment conductive to acceptable elections, and inadequacies in technical preparations for the vote resulted in serious irregularities," it said. "The people of Sudan are to be commended for their efforts to make Sudan's first multi-party elections in over two decades peaceful and meaningful," it went on, adding that "all parties should draw on this experience to improve preparations for future elections and referenda." Source: Inter Press Service