Sudan’s NCP to begin consultations with other parties on formation of new government: official

April 28, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in Sudan will begin talks in the coming days with parties that contested in the elections to determine their slots in the new government, an official here said today.

Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir has previously said that only parties which participated in the elections will be part of the next government.

The chairman of the NCP political sector Mustafa Osman Ismail said the discussions on participation would encompass all levels including federal and state.

Ismail told reporters on Tuesday that the national dialogue process will continue and that the 7 +7 mechanism will convene in a few days to resume the dialogue and then present results to president Bashir.

He denied the existence of a mediation effort by Qatar between his party and the National Umma Party (NUP) leader al-Sadiq al-Mahdi to make him rejoin the national dialogue.

The NCP official said they see no need for this effort because channels of communication with al-Mahdi remain open.

Ismail also dismissed opposition’s lack of recognition of the elections results saying it carries little weight.

For his part, the NCP official Nafie Ali Nafie expressed the keenness of his party on the resumption of the national dialogue, pointing out that the climate is conducive to move forward with the dialogue arrangements.

Nafie said that the dialogue will not exclude anyone except those who chose to stay out adding that it will include non-partisan figures and civil society organizations.

On Monday, Bashir, 71, won re-election with 94% of the vote in an election boycotted by opposition, extending his nearly three-decade rule for another five years.

The NCP secured an easy win in the parliamentary elections with 323 out of the 426 seats in the National Assembly.

The opposition boycotted the election, citing a widespread crackdown on civil society and the media, which they say created an impossible environment to fairly contest Bashir’s presidency.

It had called for delaying the elections until the national dialogue process bears fruit.

The dialogue process has now faltered amid boycott and pullout by several participants who complained about government stepping up its crackdown and backpedalling on its commitments.

(ST)