Voter registration for the south Sudanese referendum slated for 9 January continued for the seventh day on Sunday as Sudanese politicians exchanged accusations of hampering the plebiscite process. Mixed reports have surfaced lately questioning the integrity of the vote's preparatory stages. The poll will decide South Sudan secession. The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) accused the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), the southern rebel movement turned political entity, of preventing some citizens in the northern states from registering. The charges added that SPLM officials shudder at the thought that some ethnic southerners favor unity. The NCP said it fears widespread fraud in the upcoming referendum. Meanwhile, the SPLM accused the NCP of manipulating the voter registration process in the north and mobilizing people against it in an effort to later cast doubt on the integrity of the referendum if the outcome is secession. The UN envoy to Sudan, however, said voter registration in the south is proceeding well and is being conducted in a free environment. The US consulate's chargé d'affaires in Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan, described the voter registration process as good in some states. The official, however, said it remains important for diplomats to go out to other areas to witness the registration process first-hand. The Sudan Referendum Commission revealed mixed reports about registration difficulties. The commission will convene today to assess the process and decide on ways to get eligible voters overseas to register.
