Sudan’s NCP still hopeful that Umma party will join new government
September 25, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in Sudan denied receiving formal notification from the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) that it will not join the upcoming government.
But the NUP leader and former Prime Minister al-Sadiq al-Mahdi on Friday made it clear that his party rejects the NCP’s offer.
However, a senior official in the NCP said they have nothing official on the NUP’s position.
“We have not received a formal notification with a clear position of the Umma Party refusing to participate and we are still waiting for the response of the National Umma Party and other forces” the NCP’s political secretary Qutbi al-Mahdi said.
The NCP official said that dialogue with the NUP will continue their efforts to reach understandings on issues they are discussing through their joint committees.
Al-Mahdi warned that talks need to agree on “national principles” in order to prevent a return to the cycle of coalition governments that preceded the regime of president Omer Hassan al-Bashir 1989.
He further said that the NCP-NUP talks did not reach the stage of determining what ministerial portfolios to be allocated. He also accused the opposition party of being hesitant and urged the NUP to come up with a clear stance.
The NCP won a landslide victory in April 2010 general elections which has been marred by opposition boycott and logistical failures. Nonetheless the international community and election observers have endorsed its results.
Analysts say that the NCP wants to bolster its legitimacy amid growing challenges facing the country such as a dire economic situation and flaring military conflicts in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.
(ST)