The Sudanese Civil Society Organizations’ Platform for Elections

The Sudanese Civil Society Organizations’ Platform for Elections has been founded on the basis of shared coordination of activities and cooperation between civil society organisations working in the field of awareness raising and training on issues of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Interim National Constitution of 2005, and the Elections Law of 2008. The Platform forms a nucleus for coordination, exchange of information and expertise, and aims at the strengthening and development of alliances working on voter education and awareness raising on the importance of elections and its observation and monitoring. It consists of 36 civil society organisations active in the field of elections: research centres, cultural centres and societies in Khartoum, Juba, Dongola, Shendi, Nyala, Zalingi, Elfashir, Eldilling, Gedaref, Kassala, Port Sudan and Madani

Vision

A human and democratic society in a Sudanese state based on the rule-of-law, with legally based and democratically elected institutions.

Mission

To enhance the process of democratic transformation in Sudan by contributing to the implementation of free, fair, peaceful, and periodical elections.

Goals

To offer voter education in order to stimulate and encourage participation in the elections, in particular women,

To participate in the observation and monitoring of electoral conducts and processes,

To provide an open platform for the enhancement of dialogue, coordination and integration between governmental and non-governmental organisations working on elections.

Achievements

Since January 2008, the Platform member organisations have implemented more than 70 trainings, fora, and workshops in the field of voter education and election monitoring in the city of Juba in Southern Sudan, and in the Northern states of Kassala, South Kordofan, River Nile, the Northern State, Khartoum, Gezira, and the three States of Darfur.

Target groups

The activities implemented by the Platform member organisations targeted different societal groups and state institutions, among them: university students, academics, teachers, jurists, judges, police, local authorities, local administrative officers, political parties, female leaders, and artists (painters, singers, theatre-makers).

Current activities

developing a concept for cooperation on the basis of a non-traditional, flexible and effective system of working,

increasing the number of Platform branches (research centres, cultural centres, active NGOs and CBOs) in the regions,.

arranging and coordination of awareness raising activities and trainings on ‘how to register’ and ‘how to vote’, the importance of the participation of women, and on the processes of observation and monitoring of elections,

developing a manual for election observation and monitoring and observation report writing.

The member organisations of the Platform have already agreed on a Code of Conduct on the role of civil society organisations in the electoral monitoring process .

enhancing the use of ‘inter-active tools’ (contacts, networking, exchange of information on elections) through the internet, the cheapest and fastest means possible, by making use of ‘blogs’ as an alternative means of information sharing. For this purpose the Platform has set up SHAMS, a Sudanese ‘bloggers network’. Members of the Platform administer and edit the website that provides basic information about voter education and elections monitoring, and about the activities of the Platform