Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir - in power since a 1989 coup - will stand for re-election in April 2015 after being retained as the leader of the ruling party, an adviser has said.
Sudanese opposition parties which agreed to participate in the national dialogue process called for by president Omer Hassan al-Bashir earlier this year, failed to reach a decision on boycotting the process amid diverging views at a meeting today.
The meeting which was comprised of the Popular Congress Party (PCP), Reform Now Party (RNP) and Just Peace Forum (JPF) discussed the current political situation and recent developments after the leader of the National Umma Party (NUP) al-Sadiq al-Mahdi was arrested last month.
The Reform Now Party (RNP), which is led by a ruling party dissident, has announced its intention to suspend its participation in the ongoing national dialogue process in response to what it described as a series of setbacks to political freedoms in the country.
The decision came in a meeting of the RNP politburo on Wednesday and disclosed its intention to lobby other dialogue participants to adopt same measure as the "correct position" which would force the government to commit to the deliverables of dialogue.
Sudan’s opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) has revealed they are in contact with the government to press them on issuing a presidential decree to release the leader of the National Umma Party (NUP), al-Sadiq al-Mahdi.
PCP political secretary, Kamal Omer Abdel-Salam, told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday that his party leader Hassan al-Turabi met with al-Mahdi in prison on Tuesday and discussed the political implications of his arrest besides the joint coordination between the PCP and the NCP in the coming period.
The National Congress Party (NCP) political secretary reaffirmed Tuesday the importance of the participation of the National Umma Party (NUP) leader Sadiq al-Mahdi in the national dialogue process.
Mustafa Osman Ismail who is also tasked with relations between the ruling party and the opposition party further described the detained leader “as national figure who has significant political weight”.
Sudan’s opposition National Umma Party (NUP) has belied press reports quoting its imprisoned leader al-Sadiq al-Mahdi as saying that he is committed to national dialogue despite his detention.
The NUP politburo in statement on Tuesday, said al-Mahdi is not in a position that would allow him to make statements, stressing that the party institutions are the only credible source of information conveyed from its leader.
It accused the government and its followers of promoting those statements in order to undermine the NUP stances and discredit its leader’s firm positions.
The National Umma Party (NUP) and the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) agreed on Monday to coordinate relentlessly to grab the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the constitution.
The two parties also committed to continuing the dialogue on the country’s situation through a joint mechanism in what appears to be a warming up between the two sides in the wake of NUP leader al-Sadiq al-Mahdi’s arrest this month.
Sudan’s opposition alliance of the National Consensus Forces (NCF) said it has not received an invitation to attend the Sudanese dialogue forum which was due to be held in Germany on Tuesday.
The meeting was supposed to bring together the NCF and the rebel alliance of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) to develop a common platform on constitutional reforms and the national dialogue process.
Rapid Support Forces (SRF) field commander Ahmed Hamdan (Hametti) maintained his accusations against the leader of the opposition Umma National Party (UNP) saying the court have to decide on their claim against him.
Hametti remarks come as Sudanese lawyers’ Union (SLU) released a statement on Saturday saying they continue to exert efforts to ensure the release of Sadiq al-Mahdi from Kober prison where they met him.
Sudan’s parliament speaker, al-Fatih Izz al-Din, has revealed that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) will introduce a major amendment to elections law allowing adoption of proportional representation but cautioned that the 2015 general elections will not be delayed.
The move would mean that all political forces will be represented in the parliament irrespective of the size of its constituency.
Rebel groups of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) will meet with opposition parties in Germany next June to discuss ways to develop a common platform on constitutional reforms and the national dialogue process, said the leader of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Girbil Ibrahim.
The nearly two-week arrest of the National Umma Party leader, Sadiq al-Mahdi, stirred conflicting reactions among Sudanese opposition parties that have accepted to be part of the national dialogue process.
The Reform Now Party (RNP), of Ghazi Salah Eddin al-Attabani criticized al-Mahdi’s arrest and recent measures restricting the freedom of the press, saying it would derail the national dialogue. But, the Popular Congress Party (PCP) of Hassan al-Turabi reiterated that it would not abandon the political process.
The Sudanese presidency on Sunday refused to issue directives for the release of the National Umma Party (NUP) leader, al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, declaring that it would not interrupt the legal course.
It pointed to the need for completing the ongoing investigations with al-Mahdi, underscoring its commitment to national dialogue as a strategic choice.
The Secretary General of the rebel Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N), Yasser Arman, has denounced the detention of the National Umma Party (NUP) leader, al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, calling upon the latter to work with the rebel alliance in order to overthrow the regime.
Arman said in press statements on Friday that president Omer Hassan al-Bashir is not serious about introducing true democratic change, saying the latter’s call for comprehensive national dialogue is only aimed at making cosmetic changes and reproducing his regime.
Sudan’s riot police used tear gas on Friday to disperse a peaceful demonstration organised by the National Umma Party (NUP) in the capital twin city of Omdurman to demand the release of its leader al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi.
Regular troops were deployed at several mosques in Khartoum in anticipation of any protests following Friday prayers.
Police forces surrounded the Imam Abdel Rahman Mosque in Wad Nubawi where more than 1,000 people from the Ansar sect – the religious wing of the NUP – gathered to protest al-Mahdi’s arrest.
The defence team of the National Umma Party (NUP) leader al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, announced that investigation with the him has been concluded since Saturday and called for his immediate release.
Al-Mahdi was arrested over the weekend by Sudanese security and charged on several counts including undermining the constitutional order and opposing the regime through force.
Those charges are punishable by death, life imprisonment and sentences ranging from a few months to several years and confiscation of money.
Sudan’s opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) has revealed ongoing contacts with the rebel alliance of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) saying a meeting between the two sides will be held soon.
The PCP political secretary, Kamal Omer Abdel-Salam, said at a press conference on Tuesday that his party is qualified to clear the air following detention of the leader of the National Umma Party (NUP), Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi, saying the latter’s case has become more complicated.
The former prime Mminister of Sudan and the head of the National Umma Party (NUP), al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, is still being investigated while in detention, a government prosecutor said on Tuesday.
Head of the state security prosecution Yasser Ahmed Mohamed said in a statement released today that al-Mahdi is in legal custody at the Kober federal prison and that they are following procedures to renew his detention periodically in accordance with the law.
