In addition to marking an important milestone in the implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace
Agreement (CPA), national elections scheduled to take place in February 2010 are rightly being viewed as a
major step forward in democratic transformation of the political system and institutions in the Sudan.
However, elections in the Sudan cannot be the end goal in and of themselves. Rather, they must be a means
to an end objective of achieving effective political accommodation in the whole of the Sudan.
The stakes are high. If elections and other modalities for political accommodation fail to effectively reconcile
the political interests of various parties and constituencies, especially previously-marginalized groups: (a)
there will be increased risk of (potentially-violent) disputes following elections; (b) secession will likely
become the only attractive political option for the Southern parties in advance of the 2011 referendum; and
(c) opposition Movements in Darfur will have little incentive to engage in substantive negotiations with the
Government of the Sudan.
In this context, a critical question is whether elections alone can achieve effective political accommodation
and thereby help to build peace. This is the central question which this Briefing Paper seeks to explore.