Sole the president has the privilege to appoint DRA chairman : Sissi group
July 22, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The National Liberation and Justice Party (NLJP) headed Tijani al-Sissi underscored on Wednesday that the chairman of Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) is appointed by the president of the republic and chosen from the signatories of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).
The NLJP was reacting to a statement by the Justice and Equality Movement of Bakheit Dabajo (JEM-Dabajo) Tuesday saying they would propose a candidate to the Sudanese president for the DRA chairmanship.
Al-Sissi’s group is accused of controlling the important posts in the regional body, a matter that JEM-Dabajo and the Liberation and Justice Party (LJP) of Bahar Idriss Abu Garda refuse, arguing that this situation does not reflect the reality on the ground.
NLJP spokesperson Ahmed Fadel who is also the state minister for the cabinet affairs told the official news agency SUNA Wednesday that the appointment of DRA chairman is the sole privilege of the president of the republic.
In accordance with the recent presidential decree extending DRA term for one year, the government is going to sign a protocol with the DDPD signatories to determine the share of each party in the portfolios of the DRA, Fadel further said.
When the regional authority was formed following the signing of the DDPD in July 2011, the Liberation and Justice Movement and the ruling National Congress Party shared the seats portfolios of the DRA executive body and the seats of the DRA legislative organ.
This development is a direct result of the split of Liberation and Justice Movement into two groups one chaired by Tijani al-Sissi and the other by his former secretary-general Abu Garda.
It also reflects a recent rapprochement between Abu Garda and Dabajo over the need to have a representation in the DRA institutions corresponding to their political weight.
The Sudanese presidency didn’t not yet comment on this new issue between the signatories of the Doha peace framework agreement .
(ST)