Sudan’s NCP downplays prospects of DUP withdrawal from government
October 6, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has expressed confidence that its partnership with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) led by Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani would continue according to the programme agreed upon by the two parties.
The decision of one of Sudan’s biggest opposition parties to join the government has created a great deal of internal dissent that saw many members quitting in protest. The party received three ministries in the federal cabinet.
Following the recent protests against lifting fuel subsides, al-Mirghani established a committee to look into whether or not the DUP should continue in the NCP-dominated cabinet. The panel unanimously recommended on Wednesday that the party withdraws from the government. The decision is not binding however, and the DUP chief can overrule it
Al-Mirghani is currently in London seeking medical treatment, his aides say.
The NCP spokesperson, Yasser Youssef, said in press statements on Sunday that all DUP ministers are carrying out their usual work, pointing that Sudan’s Hajj (pilgrimage) mission is headed by the minister of guidance and endowments, Al-Fatih Taj Al-Sir, who belongs to the DUP.
Youssef asserted that all DUP ministers attended the weekly cabinet meeting and continued their executive work, pointing that his party did not receive official notification from the DUP stating that it is pulling out of the government.
In the same context, Youssef said that his party’s dialogue with the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) is continuing, and that the dialogue with the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) has gone a long way.
(ST)