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Sudan Tribune

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Sudan’s opposition PCP confirms participation in upcoming government

Ali al-Haj (SUNA Photo)
Ali al-Haj (SUNA Photo)

April 22, 2107 (KHARTOUM) – The newly elected secretary general of the Popular Congress Party (PCP) Ali al-Hag Mohamed last week held an unannounced meeting with President Omer al-Bashir in which he affirmed his party’s participation in the upcoming government of national concord.

In a press release on Saturday, Mohamed said his meeting with al-Bashir, which was held at the Guest House in Khartoum, “was cordial and has addressed issues and concerns of the homeland”.

He pointed out that the meeting underscored cooperation and joint coordination among the political forces participating in the national dialogue in order to achieve political consensus, saying they discussed Sudan’s political, social and economic issues besides ways to end the war and achieve peace through negotiations.

Mohamed said the two sides agreed on the PCP’s political and executive participation in the upcoming government, pointing to the need for the effective popular participation to address urgent issues through joint mechanisms.

He stressed the meeting praised the moves made by al-Bashir to restore Sudan’s relations with African, Arab and Islamic nations besides the United States, hoping that Sudan’s name would be lifted from the U.S. terror list.

However, the press release didn’t mention whether or not an agreement was reached between the two sides on the constitutional amendments related to freedoms.

Informed sources told Sudan Tribune that the PCP hasn’t handed over its list of candidates for the upcoming government, saying the joint committee between the PCP and the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) didn’t yet agree on the ministerial posts that would be allocated for the former.

In February, Sudanese presidency deposited new amendments to the 2005 transitional constitution with the parliament providing to restrict the powers of the security services and to guarantee political freedoms.

The new amendments propose that the role of the NISS be reduced to the collection of information and to not be able to detain someone without an arrest warrant issued by a judge. Also, it ends press confiscation and censorship.

However, the National Assembly Monday passed the report of the parliamentary emergency committee for constitutional amendments retaining powers of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).

Last week, the PCP political secretary Kamal Omer said his party’s participation in the upcoming government of national concord would be useless in light of the “killing” of the constitutional amendments, pointing it wouldn’t lead to any real change in the structure of governance.

It is noteworthy that the PCP, founded by the late Islamic leader Hassan al-Turabi, splinted from the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) since 1999, and joined the opposition ranks since that time but it supported the national dialogue process declared by al-Bashir in 2014 and participated in all its forums.

Also, the party decided to join the upcoming government of national concord led by the NCP.

(ST)

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