The National Assembly has passed today the law that will govern a referendum in the region of Abyei.
The referendum will let residents of Abyei choose whether they want to remain part of the north or join the south should it become independent, Agence France-Presse reported.Article 24 of the law gives the right to vote to the Ngok Dinka tribe.
It also calls for a commission made up of four members of the National Congress Party and four of the southern Sudan People’s Liberation Movement to decide which “other Sudanese residents of the region” can vote.
MPs representing the Misseriya walked out of parliament before the vote began because they wanted their tribe members to be explicitly included in the text of the law.
President Omar al-Bashir said in July that the entire population of Abyei should take part in the 2011 referendum.
However, southern leaders insisted that only the Ngok Dinka should be allowed to vote.
Yesterday, the parliament adopted key legislation setting up the planned 2011 referendum on southern Sudan self-determination.