Collaborative learning across political parties in Sudan

Sudanese political parties, though debilitated through many years of civil war, put aside their differences over the last few years to focus on a common goal: acquiring the knowledge necessary to participate in future elections. Yet, though the credibility of the 2010 elections in Sudan was rightly disputed, progress has certainly been made.

Building properly functioning political parties was highlighted as a major priority by party members in Sudan throughout the early 2000s. They understood there was an urgent need to build capacity in electoral processes, internal democracy, and gender equality if elections were to be successfully conducted.

In cooperation with a number of local and international partners, IDEA was invited to lead a capacity building initiative from 2006 up to the planned elections in 2010.

In phase one of the programme, leaders of the six major political parties attended workshops on, for example, election observation, the role of party agents, polling and appropriate codes of conduct.

In the second phase, the training included similar capacity building workshops for 24 smaller parties. These parties formed a ‘Coordination Committee’ to liaise with International IDEA and determine the priority areas for training and follow-up activities, while ensuring their knowledge would be transferred to other members.

Working with the 240 women candidates became an important focus during this time, coaching them on how to present themselves to the electorate and canvassing issues on housing, health, gender policies, access to education, and their own security – a critical topic in the Sudanese context. It was important for the female candidates to build their own networks and collaborate on matters of common interest, regardless of party affiliation.

Although there are many reservations about the 2010 elections, not everything is lost. “The elections did take place and parties were engaged in preparing for them,” says Manal Ali Basheir, a Sudanese gender activist and IDEA’s project manager in Sudan. Even though Sudan only signed the African Charter on women’s rights immediately before this election, “women inside the parties are now raising their voices,” Basheir observes. And while the 25 per cent gender-quota stipulated in Sudan’s provisional constitution is not as high as desired, gender is now firmly on the political agenda.