Sudan’s PCP rules out suspending its participation in national dialogue: official
January 5, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – A senior official at the Popular Congress Party (PCP) led by Hassan al-Turabi has ruled out that his party would suspend its participation in the government-led national dialogue process in spite of obstacles facing the process.
But the initiative faced serious setbacks after rebel groups and leftist parties refused to join and after the National Umma Party (NUP) withdrew from the process in protest of al-Mahdi’s brief arrest earlier this year.
Some Islamist parties like the PCP and the Reform Now Movement (RNM) joined the process, hoping to convince the ruling party to make the needed concessions.
But most observers believe that chances for dialogue’s success are dwindling given government crackdown on media houses and political parties as well as its insistence on holding the elections on time next April.
In his speech on the occasion of Sudan’s 59th independence anniversary last week, Bashir renewed his call for the opposition and rebel forces to join the national dialogue process and stressed the seriousness of his government to achieve national unity.
A leading figure at the PCP who preferred to stay anonymous told Sudan Tribune on Monday that his party is still committed to the dialogue.
He acknowledged the existence of obstacles including detention of political figures and the crackdown on press freedoms but argued that dialogue is the only available option to help the country avoid eruption of a very bloody wave of violence.
The PCP official noted that recent rejection of his party’s MPs of constitutional amendments has nothing to do with the PCP’s stance towards national dialogue.
Sudanese lawmakers on Sunday approved three controversial constitutional amendments introduced by the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) despite protests of PCP MPs who did not take part in the vote.
The first bill allows the president to appoint governors who will no longer be elected through universal suffrage. The second transforms the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) into regular force to legitimize the creation of its militia the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Finally the third reform is the inclusion of Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) in the constitution.
The PCP split form the ruling party in December 1999, following divisions over the election of governors by popular vote, a position supported by the then speaker of parliament Hassan al-Turabi and rejected by president Omer al-Bashir.
NATIONAL DIALOGUE CONFERENCE
In another context, sources within the opposition parties participating in the dialogue told Sudan Tribune the dialogue conference was officially set to be launched on 8 January but ruled out that it will convene on the specified date.
It said that a package of measures must be applied ahead of the start of the dialogue including issuance of presidential decrees endorsing the 50 names of national figures participating in the dialogue besides approval of the supervisory committee.
According to the sources, several members within the dialogue committee known as 7+7 proposed that dialogue sessions be chaired by a neutral person while Bashir chairs the dialogue committee in his capacity as president of the republic.
(ST)