By Gurtong Correspondent
LONDON, UK, 31 October 2010 [Gurtong] – Organised under the “Out of the Country Registration and Voting (OCRV)” initiative as it is officially known, the assignment is being carried out in eight countries, namely the United Kingdom (UK), United States (US), Canada, Australia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.
The key rule is: To be able to vote, one must first register in official locations chosen by the OCRV, which are not located in or connected in any way to the Sudan Embassy or GoSS Liaison offices in those countries.
In the UK, registration and voting will take place in London and nowhere else in Britain or Europe. This means that those outside London in the UK will have to travel to London for both registration from November 15 to December 1, 2010 and voting on January 9 to 15 2011.
South Sudanese residents of the Irish Republic and continental Europe who would like to register and vote in the referendum will also have to make two trips to London to register and vote on the dates above.
In a document circulated by OCRV, the following stipulations apply:
“You must register in person. To register, you need to be 18 or over, and born to parents both or either of whom belongs to any of the indigenous communities residing in South Sudan on or before the 1st January 1956, or whose ancestry is traceable to one of the ethnic communities in Southern Sudan.”
In addition, “The following documents are acceptable to prove eligibility - written certificate/document issued by a Sudanese authority (even if expired) or a document issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). If you do not have these documents there will be an Identifier (community leader) at the registration place that will orally confirm/deny your eligibility”.
It is also recommended that one registers and votes early within the dates specified since it is likely that it could get busier nearer the dateline.
One is also urged to remember that: “You can only vote where you have registered. Registration cards are given when you register. You will need these to vote between 9 and 15 January 2011”.
And OCRV adds: “For further information contact our free hotline on 0800 032 9076 (operational from November). More information will be also available soon at:www. southernsudanocv.org