Sudanese lawmakers working on petitioning Bashir to run for re-election in 2015
March 24, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Members of the North Kordofan bloc in the Sudanese parliament have started working on a petition to be signed by their peers in order to press president Omer Hassan al-Bashir to reconsider his decision to step down at the end of his term in 2015. Sudanese President Omer al-Beshir (AFP) The spokesman of this parliamentary bloc Mahdi Abdurrahman Akrat said that they are also trying to arrange a meeting with Bashir on the matter. He said that such a move by the president would have disastrous consequences stressing that Bashir is the only guarantor for the unity of Sudan because he is respected by all political entities in the country. In an interview with Qatar’s Al Sharq newspaper published this week, Bashir confirmed that he will not seek reelection saying that he spent enough time in this position. The Sudanese leader said that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) will work on picking a presidential candidate for the next general elections. However, several officials including Bashir’s 2nd VP said that it is not up to Bashir to make a decision on his political future but the NCP. MP Ismail Hussein from the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) expressed doubts on the seriousness of Bashir’s declaration. Hussein said in a press statements published Sunday that the president made similar announcements in the past before being talked out of it by what he described as the "Pharaoh’s magicians" who convinced him that he needs to complete his election agenda and to conform to the will of the party. He noted that Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with alleged war crimes committed in Darfur since 2003. "The president not running for a new term will drop his immunity and there will no longer be a barrier between him and the Criminal Court," he said. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
