By Isaac Vuni

April 28, 2009 (TORIT) — Hon. Jamas Wani Igga, the speaker of the southern region’s parliament, predicted that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement party shall win the coming general elections scheduled for February 2010 with a majority of votes.

He said SPLM has a clear record that will account for its being given highest votes from exploited and marginalized Sudanese by successive governments in Khartoum.

Igga, deputy chairman of the party, made the remarks during his second visit to Eastern Equatoria state to explain the party’s national elections strategy and the way to nominate candidates to represent the party at all levels in the country.

However, he warned that any failure of the SPLM in Eastern Equatoria would be the responsibility of the elected state chairman and secretary general.

As leader of the South Sudan Legislative Assembly, he called for balanced geographical representation of all political parties, noting that greater Upper Nile state was represented by the clerk of the assembly, greater Bahr el Ghazal by the deputy speaker and greater Equatoria by himself.

The Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA) was opened on September 29, 2005 and has 171 appointed members representing eight sworn political parties. The first sitting was chaired by elderly statesman late Samuel Abujohn Kabashi.

As mediators attempt to move forward with the stalled negotiations, general elections are scheduled for February 2010. They would be the first free and fair elections in more than 20 years. Sudanese may opt to elect a new president, new parliament, governors and regional legislators.

The presidential candidate for the ruling National Congress Party is the incumbent president, Omer Al-Bashir, who came to power in a coup in 1989. Southern-based SPLM has yet to choose a candidate.

(ST)