Sudanese president to reshuffle state governors in coming days

December 10, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president who also is the chairman of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) Omer Hassan Al-Bashir announced today that he will appoint new governors in the next few days to replace the current ones.

Bashir who made the revelation during a meeting with members of the parliamentary body on Tuesday, did not elaborate on the magnitude of the changes he plans to make in state governors.

The move contradicts remarks made two days ago by his newly appointed assistant Ibrahim Ghandour who said that no changes will be made to state governors as they are elected and not appointed.

Sudan’s constitution says that the president can remove governors only if he declares emergency in the concerned state.

But multiple sources told Sudan Tribune that the governors offered their resignations to Bashir in order to enable him to make any changes he sees fit.

Today the head of the Council of States Lt. Gen. Adam Hamid Musa also asked to be relieved.

A cabinet reshuffle which took place this week saw the departure of several long-time NCP figures from their governmental posts including 1st VP Ali Osman Taha, presidential assistant and NCP Vice chairman Nafie Ali Nafie and Oil minister Awad al-Jaz.

The head of the NCP political sector Al-Haj Adam Youssef said on Monday that the shake-up will expand to include NCP sectors and secretariats as well leadership of other government agencies and its affiliated corporations.

The parliament speaker and his deputies also stepped down to open the door for promoting other NCP lawmakers.

In a related issue, former presidential assistant Nafie said that the opposition parties are embarrassed with the NCP reshuffle because it exposed their own internal weaknesses.

In statements made from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad Nafie said that the amendments made are an NCP matter and not a national one.

The NCP figure expressed surprise at criticism levelled by the opposition against the reshuffle before adding that it is because the ruling party brought younger faces to lead the next phase.

He called on opposition parties to try and get closer to the Sudanese people and prepare for the upcoming elections.

“We will accept whoever is chosen by the people, and if they bring them [opposition] we will bless it and if they choose us we will not leave it to them [opposition]” Nafie said.

Nafie said that the NCP vision for political stability and enforcing of democracy in Sudan is based on allowing freedom for all political entities.

(ST)