Bashir candidacy in presidential elections will not be withdrawn: Sudan

January 9, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese ruling National Congress Party (NCP) denied speculations that president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir will withdraw his candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections later this year.

Al-Bashir has been accused by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) last July of masterminding a campaign to get rid of the African tribes in Darfur; Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa.

The ICC judges are reviewing the evidence before deciding on whether to issue an arrest warrant for the Sudanese head of state.

“Any such talk is wishful thinking. Bashir will remain in power” the powerful presidential assistant Nafi Ali Nafi told a rally in Eastern Sudan.

“There is so much speculations on a palace coup ousting Bashir and him going to exile in Saudi Arabia” he added.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which was signed on January 9 2005 between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) calls for elections no later than July 2009 as part of a democratic transition in the country.

But observers raise doubts about the organization of the general elections next year. The independent commission is the sole institution that has the authority to fix that date of the elections and to delay it.

The ICC issue has cast doubt on whether the Al-Bashir can exercise his functions as president should he be indicted by the court.

Nafi also denied any talk of differences between Al-Bashir and his 2nd Vice president Ali Osman Taha.

“These are rumors by those who want to weaken the NCP. They are the same people who want to create a broad based coalition government to get rid of NCP figures” he said.

However the Sudanese official said that a new coalition government “is like trying to lick your elbow”.

The NCP has adamantly refused to incorporate more opposition power in the government and insists that any such changes must to be made through the elections.

“The Islamic project if it came through elections in 1989 would have been suppressed but it came by force” Nafi said.

He also lashed out at the ICC saying it is a tool used by “neo-colonialist for a regime change”.

Despite a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution issued under Chapter VII empowering the ICC to investigate in Darfur, Sudan has refused to recognize the court.

This week Sudanese officials including those from the military have warned of “grave consequences” should the ICC issue an arrest warrant for Al-Bashir.

The African Union (AU), Arab League, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) have called on the UNSC to invoke Article 16 of the ICC Statute which allows the council to suspend the ICC prosecutions in any case for a period of 12 months that can be renewed indefinitely.

But so far no such country in the UNSC has introduced any such resolution owing to threats by the Western veto wielding members such as US & France that they would block it.

(ST)