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Sudan's democratic potential
Imagine the U.S. holding simultaneous elections for the President, ALL members of Congress, ALL 50 state governors, ALL 50 state assemblies -- all organized by one federal election body in Washington, D.C. Now consider doing this for the first time five years after the American Civil War rent the nation apart, to be followed nine months later by a referendum in which Southerners would vote whether to secede or be part of the Union, and you have an idea what Sudan faced in its recent April elections.
In preparation for observing the elections, I went to Sudan and met with a variety of stakeholders -- international, regional and local -- and issued a report that I shared with the Sudanese Government, the U.S. State Department and all the stakeholders we met. We recognized the enormous logistical and political challenges ahead and gave specific recommendations, including staggering elections as we do in the U.S.
As the first ever international, independent, Muslim-led election observation mission, we noted the same logistical and technical challenges reported by others such as the Carter Center and European Union. And we, like them, found that Sudan's elections fell expectedly short of the standards of mature, established Western democracies. But to expect Sudan to meet these standards would be like expecting America of 1872 meeting American standards of 2008.
What was surprising, however, was the ready willingness of this nascent democracy to be nurtured towards a proper democratic transformation, a significant fact that appears to have been largely ignored outside of Sudan, and how much America is part of this story.
Most Western press coverage of elections understandably focused on the presidential elections and Omar al-Bashir, a man wanted for alleged war crimes. But although foreign press coverage of any elections inevitably focuses on presidential elections - just look at our own - I have argued from the start that Sudan deserves more than mere sound-bite coverage.
The far more exciting and untold parts of the story that require our urgent attention are the power shifts occurring within vast local and regional complexities, how fragile they are, and how much the Sudanese have welcomed and continue to welcome American involvement in building a better future.
How many of us know that, for the first time, the Sudanese people elected all 25 governors in all 25 states, all 450 members of the National Assembly and members of all 25 state assemblies-- previously all appointed by Khartoum? How many know that 25 percent of the seats in the new parliament are set aside for women who have been voting in large numbers? This is a seismic shift in Sudan's power structure. Sudanese voters with whom I spoke showed the greatest excitement at the hope that this would materially improve their lives. Even in cases where incumbents are expected to be elected, the Sudanese people were hopeful that there will still be positive change because these officials will, for the first time, owe their positions to the voters.
How many people know that U.S. Sen. John Danforth (R-Mo.) was the primary architect of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the decades' long civil war between North and South Sudan? The CPA mandated these elections as part of an agreement that also provides for a January 2011referendum wherein Southern Sudan will vote on whether it should remain part of a united Sudan or secede.
How many people know that for the past two years. international and U.S.-based NGOs-- like the International Republican Institute (IRI) in southern Sudan-- conducted numerous workshops with Sudan's Political Parties Affairs Council to help develop a culture of political participation? Or that the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) assisted Sudan's National Elections Commission (NEC) with logistics? Or that the National Democratic Institute (NDI) trained over 3,000 local election observers? Or that the CIA and Sudan's intelligence cooperated after 9/11 to combat anti-U.S. terrorism?
It is essential that we not whitewash the real negatives of these elections. But it is just as critical not to ignore the hopeful signs. The universal ask I got from the man and woman on the street to government leaders, in North and South Sudan, was not to abandon them after the elections. They understand the fragility of what just happened, and although they each want continued American engagement for their own reasons, the common plea was to help fashion Sudan in the American image of a federation of states, where life, liberty and pursuit of happiness are the common rights of all.
Given our costly experiences in evolving authoritarian Iraq and Afghan regimes towards democracy, wouldn't you agree that America's Sudan approach is no less as credible?
By
Feisal Abdul Rauf
|
April 29, 2010; 1:37 PM ET
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Posted by: deepthought1 | May 2, 2010 7:38 PM
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Rauf asks:
How many of us know this or that about mainly the Sudan's election.
I have another set of more meaningful questions. How many know how the South became part of Sudan in the first place. How many know the number of military coups that took place in the North since their independence from Britain and Egypt in 1956. How many of us know about how the people of the South were treated by the Arabised Northerners who are to this day referred to as Jallaba or slave traders by the Southerners. How many know of the number of southerners killed by the troops and militias of the North in the past 50 years and how many are rotting in refugee camps outside Sudan. How many slaves have the people of the North sold and are selling to this day. We need to know these numbers to appreciate the result of the South’s plebiscite that shall take place next year.
Posted by: abrahamhab1 | May 1, 2010 8:38 PM
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Hay Everybody; Remember that guy "JJ"? well, I Found His Web Page.
You Can hear his VOICE disquised as a smiling Clown. He is sooo kool & Funny & Smart. We should never have underestimated him. And he claims it will be getting better & better every week.
Looks like WAPO is gonna have competition?
Posted by: deepthought1 | May 1, 2010 6:38 PM
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O.k.. As the Largest Nation there, Sudan is going Democratic. Now;
Let Sudan Islamic Democratic become The "VANGUARD OF PEACE", not "Vanguard Of ISLAM" of the Continent Of [All] AFRICA. They should start with Taking their Army to SOMALIA And Fix these Boroken fools National Government, if any.
Maybe EGYPT should be the "Vanguard Of Islamic Africa, No? After all, They get Billions in Aid right? Well, Theres no better way to Earn U.S. Dollars or Goods or Services than to EARN it. Show, don't talk. ELSE; let The Saudi/Gulf WAHHABi's give Aid to Sudan, Egypt Et al!
correction: I meant to say ".. And Mr. Wannabe Omar Bashir.."
So, Kartoum cannot Hide it's Genocide aka Holocaust via USING US for an expiriment in "Islamic-Democracy" but with SHARIA still intact?
Posted by: deepthought1 | May 1, 2010 3:30 PM
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I've been there and more. SUDANanese are Islamics. They are 99.999 Dark Dark Brown. And Mr. Wannabe like-a U.S. President, is far far from being in Reality!
Then go live in SUDAN please; includes the Illegal Sudanese aliens here. (Potential Sleeper terrorists). Thanks.
Posted by: deepthought1 | May 1, 2010 2:57 PM
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"What's Right With Islam "?? i.e. from the title of Feisal Abdul Rauf's book
And the answer? Nothing is right with Islam because the koran dictates male Muslims including those in the Sudan and also FA Rauf control the world by any means. Until these dictating passages in the koran are deleted, no Muslim male can be trusted!!!
Posted by: YEAL9 | May 1, 2010 11:39 AM
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Something, Feisa, needs to be said about the Arabized Muslim led genocide in Sudan. IT NEEDS TO BE SAID.
Something needs to be said about racist Egypt.
When will YOU say these things? Exiled Egyptian Jews and Christians want to know.
Persecuted Egyptian nonMuslims want to know.
Posted by: FarnazMansouri | May 1, 2010 10:39 AM
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I express my gratitude and commend you for an outstanding article that has placed the events in Sudan in their rightful context. Your courage to do so, in an environment that does not take kindly to any nuanced perspectives on this matter, is to be highly applauded. We pray that Alah provides you the wisdom and fortitude to continue fighting for the just cause.
Posted by: conciencism | April 30, 2010 11:14 AM
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"Sudan: Under A Democratic Experiment Puts Bashir Back In Power"