Democracy is more than just an election. After all, it is possible to have elections and not to have democracy. Elections are simply a means to produce rule by the people. In order for them to be legitimate, they must be free, fair and just.

To have a democratic system, it is essential to preserve judicial independence and the rule of law, as well as fundamental rights and freedoms. By its very nature, a theocratic and military regime is essentially undemocratic and cannot carry out free and fair elections -simply because it does not believe in democracy. Evidence for this is the fact that the current NCP (previously known as National Islamic Front or NIF) came to power through a military coup that toppled a democratically elected government. Even today some of its members avoid talking about democracy and believe that democracy is a form of infidelity.

Democracy entails freedom of thought, organization and expression. It ensures that all citizens are equal before the law, have equal access to power and that freedom is generally protected by constitutional law. The absence of judicial independence and the violation of the rule of law by state officials in Sudan mean that democratic elections simply cannot take place.

The NCP used its mechanical majority in the unelected parliament to pass a Penal Code which gives regional governors the right to curtail freedom of expression and organization. In addition it used the same majority to pass the National Security Act, which allows security and intelligence personnel to violate the constitutional rights of citizens by detaining them for several months without a judicial warrant. It also gives the security and intelligence personnel legal immunity that prevents accountability. Thus, democratic elections have become a complete delusion.

In the case of the April 2010 general elections, the ruling group has already prepared its results. The rigging began with the injection of about 10 million false names into the electoral register allowing the Electoral Commission to claim that 16 million people (80% of the enfranchised population) have registered. Once the elections are over it will appear as if 80% (12.8 million voters) or even 90% of those registered have voted. With a turnout of over 80% the NCP will be able to claim (indeed one of them already has claimed) that it is in advance of well-established democracies around the world. Considering the NCP’s history of electoral fraud this is a completely plausible scenario – once we accept it, it becomes possible to predict the outcome of these elections.

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