UNMIS regrets news reports attributed to Umma Reform and Renewal Party (URRP) suggesting that the Mission's Chief Electoral Affairs Officer has been involved in the process of granting contracts for the printing of some election ballots inside Sudan. UNMIS Spokesperson categorically dismisses such an allegation as unfounded.
The decision to print ballots inside Sudan for executive offices, which include presidential and governors' elections, was taken by NEC on its own initiative and subsequently communicated to UNDP and UNMIS.
The UNMIS Chief Electoral Affairs Officer subsequently recommended to NEC that arrangements should be put in place to ensure that non-partisan observers and party agents had the opportunity to observe and ensure the integrity of this printing process inside Sudan.
UNMIS Spokesperson would like to reiterate that the role of the Mission and its Electoral Assistance Division is restricted to providing technical assistance and limited logistical support within its capabilities when requested to do so. This does not involve making substantive decisions about any aspect of the electoral process. Such decisions are left in their entirety to the NEC and other stakeholders in Sudan as an internal Sudanese matter.