Sudan opposition suspends parties for joining National Dialogue
The National Consensus Forces, a coalition of opposition parties, have suspended the membership of the National Umma Party (NUP), the Popular Congress Party (PCP), and the Justice Party, owing to their decision to unconditionally engage in the National Dialogue with the ruling National Congress Party.Yousif Hussein, the spokesman for the coalition, said the decision was adopted by the coalition at its meeting on Wednesday. “They breached the coalition’s common position on the issue of the dialogue,” the NCF spokesman told a Sudan Tribune reporter on Thursday.The NUP, however, had already left the opposition in October last year, objecting to the restructuring of the coalition. Hussein reiterated the coalition’s rejection of the National Dialogue with the National Congress Party, unless the latter fulfils certain conditions, including measures to ensure freedom of expression, and the signing of a ceasefire with the rebels.’Resolutions are restricting’ The spokesman for the Sudanese Communist Party said that the decision of President Omar Al Bashir to regulate the activities of political parties “is meant to restrict them even within their own headquarters”. Parties now need to require a permit 48 hours before the event or rally. He stressed to Radio Dabanga from Khartoum that the objectives and goals of Al Bashir’s resolutions are inconsistent with the Constitution, the Political Parties Act for the year 2007. “The regime is not totally committed to its announcement of allowing freedoms.” The political parties united in the NCF had boycotted the consultative meeting on a broad national dialogue, organised in Khartoum on 6 April by the ruling National Congress Party. At the onset of this meeting, Al Bashir announced a series of presidential resolutions involving freedom of activities for all political parties, press freedom, and the release of political detainees. File photo: Former NCF leaders, El Sadig El Mahdi (NUP) and Hassan El Turabi (PCP) (SudanTribune) Related: Sudan opposition forces reiterate their conditions for a national dialogue (9 April 2014)
The National Consensus Forces, a coalition of opposition parties, have suspended the membership of the National Umma Party (NUP), the Popular Congress Party (PCP), and the Justice Party, owing to their decision to unconditionally engage in the National Dialogue with the ruling National Congress Party.
Yousif Hussein, the spokesman for the coalition, said the decision was adopted by the coalition at its meeting on Wednesday. “They breached the coalition’s common position on the issue of the dialogue,” the NCF spokesman told a Sudan Tribune reporter on Thursday.
The NUP, however, had already left the opposition in October last year, objecting to the restructuring of the coalition.
Hussein reiterated the coalition’s rejection of the National Dialogue with the National Congress Party, unless the latter fulfils certain conditions, including measures to ensure freedom of expression, and the signing of a ceasefire with the rebels.
‘Resolutions are restricting’
The spokesman for the Sudanese Communist Party said that the decision of President Omar Al Bashir to regulate the activities of political parties “is meant to restrict them even within their own headquarters”. Parties now need to require a permit 48 hours before the event or rally.
He stressed to Radio Dabanga from Khartoum that the objectives and goals of Al Bashir’s resolutions are inconsistent with the Constitution, the Political Parties Act for the year 2007. “The regime is not totally committed to its announcement of allowing freedoms.”
The political parties united in the NCF had boycotted the consultative meeting on a broad national dialogue, organised in Khartoum on 6 April by the ruling National Congress Party. At the onset of this meeting, Al Bashir announced a series of presidential resolutions involving freedom of activities for all political parties, press freedom, and the release of political detainees.
File photo: Former NCF leaders, El Sadig El Mahdi (NUP) and Hassan El Turabi (PCP) (SudanTribune)
Related: Sudan opposition forces reiterate their conditions for a national dialogue (9 April 2014)
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