SPLM legislators refuse to deliberate laws tabled by Sudanese govt
Sept 20, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — A group of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) parliamentary deputies has announced its refusal to discuss laws tabled in parliament by the current interim government.
The SPLM deputies said that according to the constitution, the current interim government was not qualified to table laws in parliament. They said the constitution stipulated that only the government of national unity had the right to draft new laws and adjust others so as to put them in line with the constitution.
According to the Khartoum based newspaper Al-Watan in its edition of 19 September, the decision was reached on Wednesday 18 September during the first emergency committee meeting chaired by presidential adviser for legal affairs Badriyah Sulayman.
She said the group had requested an adjournment of the meeting for further discussions in order to ascertain whether the laws put forward were among those prepared by the joint committee of the SPLM and ruling National Congress (NC).
The group said it would refuse to discuss any laws not passed by the joint committee, which has prepared bills for the constitutional court, the Bank of Sudan — central bank — and the National Commission for Judicial Service.
The laws under contention include those on the armed forces, civil defence, the Red Crescent, volunteer work, criminal procedure and, employment in constitutional, legislative and executive positions.
(ST)