Egypt's Consul in Sudan, Moataz Mostafa, said three booths will be set up in Cairo for eligible southern Sudanese residing in Egypt to register for the region's secession referendum slated for 9 January. Voter registration will begin in the Cairo districts of Nasr City, Ain Shams and Maadi in the coming few days, Mostafa said, adding that the step is intended to uphold the right of Southern Sudanese citizens to vote in the plebiscite. Meanwhile, voter registration in Sudan has continued for the eighth consecutive day. Mixed reports have surfaced lately questioning the integrity of the vote's preparatory stages. The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) accused the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)--the southern rebel movement turned political entity--of preventing some citizens in the northern states from registering. The charges added that SPLM officials shudder at the thought that some ethnic southerners favor unity. The NCP said it fears widespread fraud in the upcoming referendum Meanwhile, the SPLM accused the NCP of manipulating the voter registration process in the north and mobilizing people against it in an effort to later cast doubt on the integrity of the referendum if the outcome is secession.
