By Isaac Vuni

July 7, 2009 (JUBA) – Southern Sudan legislative Assembly today rejected in a vote adopted today the results of the fifth population and housing census conducted in April 2008. They further called to maintain the current power sharing percentages.

The rejection comes days after a similar decision by the government of southern Sudan last week.

The assembly resolved on Tuesday "to totally reject the Sudan fifth population and housing census results of 2008 which shall be null and void and shall not be used for any national planning whatsoever, least of all 2010 national and 2011 referendum;" reads the resolution.

The lawmakers, who reaffirmed their commitment to democratic transformation of Sudan and free and fair elections, justified their decision by a series of observations:

"The central bureau of statistics in Khartoum refused to share the national Sudan census raw data with southern Sudan centre for census, statistic and evaluation."

"Southern Sudanese IDP population in northern Sudan was drastically reduced to 518,271 figures contradict the earlier survey done by various leaders from south Sudan communities in northern Sudan, humanitarians and UN agencies who estimated the population of IDPs between two to 2.9 million."

"The Darfur population increased by 62% with southern Darfur population registering an increase of 90.22% making it swells from 2.15 million to 4.09 million."

"The nomadic population in the north increased by 324% whose growth is unusual to nomadic communities. In 1993 nomadic population was 695,518, surprisingly it increased to 2.95 million in 2008."

They also underlined GOSS request to defer the conduct of census operations "for a number of reasons which includes non-return of refugees and IDPs, omission of ethnicity and religions in census questioner form, lack of logistical support, inadequate funding, rainy season and widespread insecurity in southern Sudan."

However the regional assembly encouraged the 2005 peace parties to seek a political solution to the disputed census results "by upholding the present power and wealth sharing arrangements" as stipulated in the CPA and interim national constitution.

The lawmakers also rejected the application of the national elections commission resolution No. 30, dated 8th June 2009 which demarcates and distributes geographical constituencies based on the disputed results of the census.

(ST)