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Sudan NCP says will stay in power longer with elections delay
Sunday, November 30th, 2008November 30, 2008 (KHARTOUM) A senior Sudanese official today accused unspecified political parties of seeking to delay elections scheduled for next year.
“They [political parties] want to postpone elections hoping they can raise the issue of a forming a broad coalition government” Sudan senior presidential adviser Nafi Ali Nafi told students at Khartoum university.
“Ingaz [ruling National Congress Party] will stay in power even if elections were delayed for a century” he added.
Yesterday a UN consultative team of experts advised the semi-autonomous southern Sudan government to postpone the next year general elections to November 2009 till the end of rainy season in order to avoid the logistical complications.
In accordance to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in January, the general elections should be held before July 2009, four year after the formation of the National Unity government in July 2005.
The elections in Sudan since its independence in January 1956 are always organized during the dry season between November and April to avoid the rainy season. The delay in the adoption of elections law or in the formation of electoral commission made it impossible to hold the elections before July.
Sudan elections Act was passed last July, while the electoral commission is appointed this week. The elections bill provides that elections should be organized 6 months after the appointment of electoral board members.
Sudanese officials have often said that the NCP is eager to hold elections on time in order to bestow legitimacy on the regime which came to power in 1989 through a bloodless coup.
But some political parties suggested that the time is not ripe for elections given a raging conflict in Western region of Darfur.
Nafi said that the NCP “is ready to compete in the elections”.
The preparations for the elections come amidst new developments after Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir was indicted last July by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The ICC judges are still reviewing the evidence before making a decision which could be forthcoming in the coming weeks.
Al-Bashir is the NCP nominee for the presidential elections though some observers said that an arrest warrant by ICC against Al-Bashir will make it difficult for him to carry out his functions as a head of state.
But Sudanese officials dismissed these talks and insisted that Al-Bashir is the only candidate for president and will not be replaced.
(ST)
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