São Paulo – Sudan is hoping to benefit from Brazil’s experience in holding elections, following the signing this week of a memorandum of understanding by the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court (TSE, in the Portuguese acronym) and Sudan’s National Elections Commission (NEC). The agreement lays the groundwork for bilateral cooperation in the area.
“Sudan hopes to benefit from the Brazilian democratic experience and expertise in electronic election technology. We are counting on technical cooperation from friendly countries in this vital area,” the African country’s ambassador in Brasília, Abd Elghani Elnaim Awad Elkarim, has told ANBA by email.
The diplomat explained that elections are held every five years in his country, and the next general elections are set to take place in April 2015. Ballots will be cast for the Presidency, for chairs in the two chambers of Parliament, for 18 state governments, and for slots in the states’ legislative assemblies.
“We have invited the Brazilian Supreme Court to oversee our elections,” said Elkarim. The agreement signed this week provides for mutual monitoring of elections. “The National Elections Commission is determined to hold fair, transparent, impartial elections,” he added.
A delegation headed by the commission’s chairman Mukhtar Al-Assam travelled to Brasília and paid visits to Electoral Court offices. The group convened with TSE president Dias Toffoli, among other meetings.
The ambassador explained that the first election ever in Sudan in 1953, and the first woman was elected for Parliament in 1965. He remarked that at this time, there is a minimum quota of 25% for women in the Legislative branch.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
