Sudan’s ruling party suggests breakdown of dialogue with opposition on new government

October 30, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in Sudan on Sunday appeared resigned to forming the upcoming cabinet without the participation of the major opposition parties.

Since the secession of the south last July which marked the end of the interim period and the power sharing agreement, many positions in the federal government became vacant.

The NCP was hoping to use this opportunity in order to convince the opposition parties; namely the National Umma Party (NUP) and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), to join the government and fill many of these open posts.

But the dialogue between the NCP and the two parties has dragged on without any results so far. The NUP was the first to announce its rejection of the offer saying it does not satisfy the minimum requirements under its “national agenda” initiative.

The DUP on the other hand, has been sending conflicting signals on the matter amid growing internal divisions between those who are pushing for participation and those who oppose it.

Observers say that the NCP’s willingness to extend the negotiations with the NUP and DUP more than three months after the country’s breakup is an indication of the ruling party’s desperation to get opposition parties on board.

The NCP won a landslide victory in the April 2010 general elections which was marred by opposition boycotts and logistical failures. Nonetheless the international community and election observers endorsed its results.

But the NCP dominated government is faced with daunting challenges of managing the country through an economic crisis and several military conflicts with rebel groups.

The Sudanese vice president al-Haj Adam Youssef speaking before the energising NCP conference in east Sudan said that their dialogue with opposition parties “cannot continue forever.”

Youssef revealed that the NCP secretariat intends to recommend to president Omer Hassan al-Bashir that he goes ahead with forming the new government and puts an end to dialogue with the opposition.

The VP stressed that the NCP genuinely tried to engage the opposition parties to join hands in running the country, drafting a new constitution and agreeing on a date for general elections.

He also accused foreign powers of pushing opposition away from participating in the new government for fear that it will strengthen the NCP.

In a related issue an alliance of opposition groups vowed today to continue with its plan to topple the government and putting together a plan for post-NCP state.

The head of the Legal Committee in the Consensus Powers Kamal Omar Abdel-Salam said at a press conference in Khartoum said that they are the driving force to overthrow the government, not to negotiate with them.

He accused the NCP of totalitarianism and tyranny, saying that Bashir is being misled and that the demise of the ruling party is now a matter of days.

(ST)