Sudanese lawmakers working on petitioning Bashir to run for re-election in 2015
March 24, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Members of the North Kordofan bloc in the Sudanese parliament have started working on a petition to be signed by their peers in order to press president Omar Hassan al-Bashir to reconsider his decision to step down at the end of his term in 2015.
He said that such a move by the president would have disastrous consequences, stressing that Bashir is the only guarantor for the unity of Sudan because he is respected by all political entities in the country.
In an interview with Qatar’s Al Sharq newspaper published last week, Bashir confirmed that he will not seek re-election, saying it is time to step aside.
The Sudanese leader said that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) will work on picking a presidential candidate for the next general elections.
However, several officials, including Bashir’s second vice-president, said that it is not up to Bashir to make a decision on his political future but the NCP.
MP Ismail Hussein from the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) expressed doubts on the seriousness of Bashir’s declaration.
Hussein said in a press statements published on Sunday that the president made similar announcements in the past before being talked out of it by a group he described as the “pharaoh’s magicians”, who convinced him that he needs to complete his election agenda and to conform to the will of the party.
He noted that should Bashir stand aside, he will no longer be protected against arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with alleged war crimes committed in Darfur since 2003.
“The president not running for a new term will drop his immunity and there will no longer be a barrier between him and the criminal court,” he said.
(ST)