The ballot papers for the April general elections have begun arriving in Southern Sudan.

The Southern Sudan High Committee (SSHC) received the first consignment of ballot papers earmarked for the region at Juba International Airport on 12 March.

"This is the first load of executive ballot papers for the presidency of the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) for all ten southern states," said Mathew Dominic, regional team leader of the UNMIS Electoral Assistance Division in Southern Sudan.

On Monday 15 March, the executive ballot papers for the national presidency of the Republic of Sudan arrived in Juba.
The ballot papers will be distributed in eight of the ten states in Southern Sudan.

Due to their proximity to the national capital, the states of Upper Nile and Unity will receive their papers directly from Khartoum.

The ballot papers for the governorships of the ten southern states have not yet been sent to Juba.

The distribution of the ballot papers from Juba to other state capitals in Southern Sudan is expected to begin soon, and it will be done by the United Nations Development Programme at the request of the National Elections Commission.

UNMIS will also support SSHC with the distribution of ballot papers from the state capitals to the county level, particularly in remote rural areas that are only accessible by aircraft.

"It is good that these ballot papers have arrived," said SSHC Deputy Chairperson Anthony Ariki. "We feel that things are going well. We hope that these elections will end well and on time."

A report that aired on Radio Miraya FM on Wednesday quoted Mr. Ariki as saying that 91 boxes of ballot papers had arrived in Juba since 12 March.

The ballot papers for the three categories of executive offices -- President of the Republic of the Sudan, President of the GoSS and the 25 state governors -- have been printed in Sudan.

The ballots for seats in the National Assembly, the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly and 25 state legislative assemblies have been printed in the United Kingdom and should arrive in the country next week.

Voting is scheduled to begin on 11 April.