20100424
inform

Angelina Teny, the defeated candidate for the governorship of oil-rich Unity state in south Sudan who had two of her supporters shot dead, on Saturday accused her victorious rival of cheating.

On Friday incumbent governor Taban Deng, the official candidate of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), announced that he had retained his post in this month's elections.

The announcement triggered protests in which two Teny supporters were shot dead by security forces in the Unity state capital of Bentiu.

According to the election commission, Deng garnered 137,362 votes against 63,561 for Teny. An earlier partial count had showed Teny with a lead of 24,000 votes.

Teny, in an interview with AFP in Bentiu, accused Deng of altering "all the results, not just those of the governorship poll," based not on political considerations but on "how he feels about the person."

"It's a very sad day for democracy. I'm just wondering when you want to set up a democratic system, is this the best kind of foundation to put in place?" she asked.

"The situation that has been created by this unfortunate announcement -- because we do not accept these results -- is a matter that I think will have grave repercussions, not just for now but for the future of this place."

The decision by Teny, herself a senior SPLM member, to stand as an independent against Deng caused a stir within the former rebel movement and could further heighten tensions in the sensitive state.

But Teny, the wife of south Sudan's vice president Riek Machar, was quick to reiterate a call for her supporters to remain calm after Friday's protests.

"There is no point in losing life. That stage in our war is over. There is no point in telling people to come out if they are going to get shot," she said.

"The preparations in this state for the last five days have been like a preparation for war, with heavy presence of the army and the heavy-handed way people are being dealt with."

On Wednesday one of her campaign aides in Bentiu was "arrested and tortured and taken all over the place," Teny said, adding that the aide was eventually released.

Unity state, straddling the border between north and south Sudan, is one of the main oil-producing regions in a country whose crude output is around 480,000 barrels per day.

"This is a state that is very strategic, bordering on the northern states. It's also an oil-producing state and it borders two other southern states where there are conflicts (Lakes and Warrab). It's the last place where we need this kind of tension," Teny said.

Some 16 million registered voters across Sudan voted between April 11 and 15 for president, legislative and local representatives in the country's first multi-party election since 1986.

President Omar al-Beshir, who came to power in a military coup in 1989 backed by Islamists, is widely expected to be re-elected.

A referendum on southern independence is due to take place next January.