National parliament urges to extend its duration for one more year
April 5, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese Parliament has called on the government partners to amend the constitution in order to extend its mandate until February 2010, the new date of the general elections.
Last week Abdellah Ahmed Abdellah, deputy chairman of Sudan’s National Electoral Commission, announced the delay of the general elections for more than seven months. Initially the elections had to be held before July 2009.
Also the article (216) of the current Interim Constitution provides that “General Elections at all levels of government shall be held not later than the end of the fourth year of the Interim Period.”
Mohamed Al-Hassan Al-Amin, a deputy speaker of the National Assembly, urged the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) to revise the article 216. He pointed out that the term “the end of the fourth year of the Interim Period” should be modified to “the end of the fifth year of the Interim Period.”
The two partners need to deposit the constitutional amendment before the third week of April in order to be approved by three-fourths majority of each chamber separately in time, he stressed.
According to the interim constitution, Sudan has a bicameral legislature; an upper house, the Council of States and a lower house, the National Assembly.
Before to hold the general elections Sudanese government has to publish the results of the national census, and the finalize the border demarcation. Also some laws necessary to ensure free and democratic elections are not endorsed by the parliament.
(ST)