Sudan’s NCP to begin selection process for presidential candidate in late October
August 31, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in Sudan announced that it will embark on the process to choose the party’s candidate for the presidency in elections in 2015, by 26 October.
He noted that the council will select five candidates for the NCP Shura (consultative) Council, which meets on 27 October to pick three names to be voted on at the General Convention.
Youssef went on to say that if the General Convention does not approve any of the three, then the Shura council will submit three other names for direct nomination and that if one nominee declines then the process is repeated.
The person picked by the General Convention becomes the chair of the General Convention and a candidate for the presidency in the 2015 elections.
NCP officials gave conflicting statements about whether incumbent president Omer Hassan al-Bashir will be one of the nominees.
In recent years, Bashir has asserted that he will not run for a new term and went on to say that he spent enough time in power and that the country needs new faces.
However, he later backtracked, saying it is up to the party’s institutions to decide on the 2015 presidential candidate and that he will respect their decision.
Bashir who ruled the country since staging a military coup in 1989, faces an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) which has restricted his international travels and his meetings with western officials.
His health has also came into question recently after undergoing two throat surgeries in 2012 to remove a tumour and two knee replacement surgeries this year.
The 70-year-old leader has also recently started delegating more of his domestic and international appearances to his first vice-president, Bakri Hassan Saleh.
(ST)