Sudanese President signs elections law
December 11, 2018 (KHARTOUM) Sudan’s National Legislature including the upper and lower chambers (National Assembly and the Council of States) has received the 2018 election law after it was signed by President Omer al-Bashir.
The Sudanese parliament on 21 November passed the controversial electoral law in the third and final reading phase following the withdrawal of 34 parties and political movements from the sitting.
The withdrawal of these parties came after a sharp disagreement over three articles of the draft bill including the election of the states’ governors, the number of polling days and the voting of the Sudanese expatriates on the proportional lists.
Addressing the parliamentary sitting on Tuesday, speaker of the parliament Ibrahim Ahmed Omer said the National Legislature has received the election law from the presidency, pointing out that it would be handed over to the minister of justice to publish it in the official gazette.
Last June, the Sudanese Council of Ministers approved the 2018 elections law amid objection of several political forces participating in the national dialogue.
In October 2016, the political forces participating in the government-led national dialogue concluded the process by signing the National Document which includes the general features of a future constitution to be finalised by transitional institutions.
The NCG was installed in May 2017 to implement the outcome of the dialogue conference.
The rebel groups and opposition parties refused to join Khartoum process as they demand the government to end the war and ensure freedoms in the country ahead of the dialogue.
Also, last May, a coalition of some opposition left parties, the National Consensus Forces (NCF), announced the boycott of the 2020 elections, saying it won’t meet with the ruling party to discuss these elections.
On the other hand, several opposition groups that are part of the opposition Sudan Call forces consider participating in the next general presidential elections in 2020 if the regime of President al-Bashir provides needed guarantees for a fair election and ensures freedoms.
(ST)