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Committee to support al-Bashir re-election to be announced Tuesday: Sudan’s agency

President Omer al-Bashir gestures as he addresses the crowd in Al-Fashir, North Darfur, Sudan April 1, 2016. R(euters Photo)
President Omer al-Bashir gestures as he addresses the crowd in Al-Fashir, North Darfur, Sudan April 1, 2016. R(euters Photo)

December 18, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – The “National Initiative of the Youth Around the President” will hold a news conference to announce the formation of a committee to support the re-nomination of President Omer al-Bashir for a third term, said the official news agency SUNA.

According to the official agency, the committee entitled: The Higher Committee to Give Bay’ah (declaring allegiance) to President al-Bashir in 2020 elections would be announced during a press conference at the Friendship Hall in Khartoum on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, members of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) Shura (consultative) Council in the White Nile State on Monday have declared support for the re-election of President al-Bashir for a new term.

The announcement came during the sixth meeting of the council in the presence of the White Nile State governor Abdel-Hamid Musa Kasha and the secretary of organizational communications at the NCP national Shura Council.

According to the council, the re-nomination of al-Bashir in 2020 elections would provide the required guarantee to implement the National Dialogue outcome.

On Thursday, the ruling NCP delayed indefinitely the meeting of the national Shura Council which was expected to discuss among other issues the party presidential nominee in the 2020 elections.

On the other hand, the former Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) led by Bakhit Adam Dabago said it would launch a national campaign to re-elect al-Bashir for a new term.

The pro-government Sudan Media Center (SMC) has quoted Dabago as saying they are making contacts with their base and the political and societal forces to form a broad front to support al-Bashir re-election.

“President al-Bashir holds the hopes and aspirations of the Sudanese people and he has proven during the process of national dialogue to be a non-partisan and president for all [Sudanese]” said Dabago according to SMC

Al-Bashir’s term ends in 2020 and he couldn’t run for office again according to the constitution. However, some voices within the NCP and the government have recently called for amending the constitution to allow him to run for the presidency again.

Last month, NCP leading figure and Presidential Envoy for Diplomatic Contact and Negotiation for Darfur Amin Hassan Omer told Sudan Tribune that al-Bashir wouldn’t submit to the calls for his reelection, saying the latter seeks to strengthen the national unity and build the NCP and its new leadership.

Al-Bashir who came to power through a coup d’état in June 1989 will have ruled Sudan for 31 years by the year 2020.

In March 2012, al-Bashir said he wouldn’t seek his re-election in April 2015 but he ran and won in an election that was boycotted by the major opposition parties.

Also, in August 2016, he said “I’m not a dictator and I don’t want to cling to power. I won’t run for another term, my term will end by 2020 and I won’t be able to run again according to the constitution and the constitution won’t be amended”.

On Sunday, the Popular Congress Party (PCP) has distanced itself from a document alluding to the support of the political parties participating in the government to al-Bashir’s reelection.

(ST)

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