Sudan’s DUP turns down NCP offer to join the new cabinet over under-representation: official
May 30, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) led by Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani announced that it rejected the offer submitted by the National Congress Party (NCP) to join the new cabinet that will be formed after president Omer Hassan al-Bashir is sworn in to a new term.
“We want partnership in the homeland not participation in the government,” Hassoun said.
But other government sources dismissed these remarks saying that the DUP completed consultations with the NCP on its allocated posts in the cabinet.
It is understood that the NCP offered the DUP the same posts it currently holds in the cabinet which includes three federal ministries, two state ministers and other posts on the state level.
The NCP said it will look into the DUP’s request for an additional post without committing to it which aggravated al-Hassan al-Mirghani who is currently running the party as his father is still out of the country.
But Ali al-Sayed, a long-time DUP figure, dismissed this decision as a manoeuvre by al-Hassan to secure more concessions from the NCP.
He noted that al-Hassan agreed to participate in the elections in order for the party to be able to remain in the cabinet.
President Bashir has warned earlier this year that only parties which contested in April’s general elections will be offered posts in the government.
Al-Sayed was dismissed by al-Hassan from the DUP along with other top party figures who challenged his decision to participate in the elections and sought unsuccessfully a court ruling declaring him ineligible to represent the party before the National Elections Commission (NEC).
The DUP left opposition ranks and joined the “broad-based” government of the NCP in December 2011, citing the “need to save the country” in the words of al-Mirghani himself.
(ST)