Republic of the Sudan: Referendum, 11-13 April 2016

At stake in this election:

• This referendum will determine if the Darfur region will reunite as a single entity with a semi-autonomous administration or remain divided in its 5 states as currently is.

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993)
• Head of Government: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993)
• Assembly: Sudan has a bicameral National Legislature consisting of the Majlis Weleyat (Council of States) with 50 seats and the Majlis Watani (National Assembly) with 426 seats.

Electoral requirements:

• For the referendum to pass, a simple majority vote is required.

About the referendum:

• Both the Abuja Agreement (2006) and the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (2011) have stipulated that a referendum is to be held to determine the future status of the Darfur region.  If the decision to reunite Darfur is chosen, the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority (TDRA) shall form a constitutional committee to determine the powers of Darfur’s regional government. If the option to remain divided in the 5 states is selected, the current administrative status will remain as is and the TDRA will be dissolved.

Main provisions in the referendum:

• This referendum will ask voters if they wish to change the status of Darfur to a single entity or for Darfur to remain divided in 5 states as it is currently.

Population and number of registered voters:

·         Population: 36,108,853 (July 2015 est.)

·         Registered Voters: 13,126,989 (2015)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 17,909,949 (July 2015 est.)

·         Is Sudan a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Sudan ratified CEDAW: No

·         Gender Quota: Yes[1]

·         Female candidates in this election: N/A

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 149 (30.91%)[2]

·         Human Development Index Position: 167 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Sudan a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Sudan ratified CRPD: Yes (24 April 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 5,416,328