(AFP), KHARTOUM — Sudanese MPs on Monday voted unanimously for members of a commission which will oversee a key referendum on southern independence in January.

Legislators had earlier this month rejected the composition of a referendum commission proposed by President Omar al-Beshir's National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

One of the nine members had been rejected due to his affiliation to a political party, which they said would have compromised the commission's impartiality.

The Sudanese presidency then put forward a new list of commissioners, replacing only the disputed commissioner. The new referendum commission will be headed by former foreign minister, Mohammed Ibrahim Khalil, who was also the head of parliament from 1986 to 1989. The formation of the commission clears part of the way for holding the referendum in January, but many logistical details are yet to be tackled if the vote that could see the creation of a new African country is to pass of successfully.

By January, the commission must register voters and prepare electoral lists, a challenging task particularly after an April general election which was marred by accusations of fraud and technical problems. Voting observers from the European Union on Monday urged the commission to act swiftly and ensure a well-organized referendum. "They have to start as early as possible... (They are under significant) time pressure," EU vote monitoring chief Veronique de Keyser told journalists in Khartoum.She said north and south Sudan both had an interest in achieving a "very good and controlled referendum... (otherwise) it could create a lot of problems." "It will be crucial to have a lot of observers. We will be delighted to come," if invited by Sudan, she added.

The referendum on southern independence is a key provision of a 2005 peace deal which ended a decades-long war between north and south Sudan, a conflict which left two million people dead.

Another referendum will take place simultaneously in the contested oil-rich region of Abyei where residents will have to decide whether they want to be part of north or south Sudan. The composition of that referendum has not yet been revealed.