The future of Sudan according to presidential candidates

Apart from incumbent President Omar Al Bashir, most of the 16 presidential candidates in the 2015 election are not well known, either because they are affiliated to new political parties or they have been abroad.

Sudan News Agency (Suna) interviewed a number of the candidates about their programme. Some of them complained about the restricted media time granted to them during the electoral campaign. Dr Fatima Abdelmahmoud pointed to “unequal opportunities”. The candidates are granted 20 minutes in three periods, “while chances to promote his campaign are widely available to our respected rival, President Omar Al Bashir”.

Fadul El Sid Shueib said that party activities, in which their programme was presented, were ignored by the national television. He also noted that “there have appeared some signs of intervention by a number of states in the elections process”. The authorities in North Kordofan, for instance, notified political parties in the state that a security permit is required for any of their activities, and that posters were not allowed.

Diversity

Shueib, of the Federal Truth Party (2008), believes that Sudan’s ethnic, tribal, and cultural diversity has made it difficult to find a solution since Sudan’s independence in 1956. “For this reason we advocate a return to the old six-region system, with each region having an assistant presiden, to be stationed in the region rather than at the Republican Palace.”

He proposes the formation of a five-year transitional government, in which representatives of the armed movements are welcome. In a second step, medium- and long-term plans for and economic reform are to be developed.

A permanent constitution is to be drafted with the participation of all Sudanese. “In this way we will be able to find the right solution to all problems of development and fair sharing of resources and power and to the problems of justice and freedoms,” he said, stressing that the Islamic Sharia laws are to be maintained.

USA

Presidential candidate Dr Fatima Abdelmahmoud of the Democratic Socialist Union Party considers the relationship with the USA the backbone of her electoral programme.

“We must build up bilateral ties with the USA, and cast aside arguments by Sudanese diplomats that the USA links any issue with the human rights situation in Sudan, and unnecessarily interferes in the internal affairs.” In this way, sanctions may be lifted, and debts written off.

Abdelmahmoud’s priority lies at finding a solution to the fighting in Darfur, Kordofan and the Blue Nile through negotiations, “because this armed conflict is behind the country's political and economic problems. I think this conflict is being fanned by external powers which benefit from instability in Sudan”.

She further intends to focus on raising the gross domestic product and increasing youth employment opportunities by attracting foreign investors. The utilisation of gold, petroleum and other natural resources, should be enhanced, the agricultural El Gezira Scheme rehabilitated, and the industrial sector has to be expanded.  

‘Mini-government’

Yasir Salih Abdelgader, leader of the Justice Party, founded in 2002, prefers the formation of “a one-year emergency mini-government in order to improve the living standards”. It should exert efforts to lift the economic sanctions, “which have a larger negative impact on the people than on the government”.

“We have an integrated economic plan for the people's interest which combines the free and guided systems together and which makes use of the local raw materials such as methane cooking gas,” he told Suna. “We are planning to reactivate the major agricultural schemes in addition to prospection of various minerals, employment of the oil proceeds in support of agriculture, industry, and services.”

According to Abdelgader, the solution for the armed conflicts in Darfur, the Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile lies in the fair distribution of power and resources. “We plan to peacefully solve these problems with the armed movements”.

Sharia

Candidate Mohamed Awad Ahmed El Baroud, a former senior member of the ruling National Congress Party, calls for “deserting the affiliation to political parties as an idea and practice [..] because both the ruling and opposition parties have failed to provide solutions to the problems of the country”.

El Baroud considers the Sharia “a means for securing food for the people rather than imposition of punishments. [..] The Sharia is basically concerned with the human-being and with his humanity, and this is what we are seeking to achieve.”

His programme is based on “full equality among all Sudanese nationals”, advocating a maximum employment of the rich human resources in the country and exploitation of the natural resources. He also intends to increase job opportunities for the youth.

Technocrats

Presidential candidate Abdelmahmoud Abdeljabar of the Union of the Umma Forces Party seeks to establish a crisis government of technocrats.

This government will be tasked with “drafting the permanent constitution and laying down the principles of justice, bearing in mind that Islam does not differentiate between an Arab and a non-Arab, and rules that the only difference between people is piety”.

Peace with the armed movements should be reached through negotiation. “Our plans also provide for compensations to people affected by the war since 2003.”

Sudan’s economy needs to be focussed on agricultural development.

‘Settle all Sudanese in Khartoum’

The electoral programme of independent candidate Hamdi Hassan Ahmed Mohamed (1972) is based on formation of a transitional government in which all political forces will take part. This government will draft the constitution required for ruling the county.

Regarding the government structure, “there will be no states, localities, and administrative units. All services will be provided by the ministries run under the direct supervision of the president. [..] The taxation chamber will be shut down, as there will be no taxes at all.

“Sudan will be divided into agricultural blocs, and the national private sector, as well as international companies and countries, will be encouraged for investment in agriculture.”

Mohamed intends to solve the housing problem in the country by abolishing the states, and the settlement of the entire Sudanese population in Greater-Khartoum (Khartoum, Khartoum North, and Omdurman), “which will be divided into housing blocs, and will be turned into a capital of international standards”.

Moreover, he proposes a free education system and the abolishment of all universities, except three. “The University of Khartoum will focus on medical studies, the University of Sudan on engineering, and the Omdurman Islamic University on theoretical studies.”