Sudan President Not For Re-Election

Sudan President Not For Re-Election

A senior official of the ruling party in Sudan has said President Omar al-Bashir will not stand at the next election, as part of a package of reforms aimed at democratising the country.

Bashir took power in a bloodless coup in 1989.

In April 2010, he won presidential elections which many opposition parties boycotted, citing fraud.

“Bashir announced that he will not enter the coming elections to compete for the presidency,” Rabie Abdelati, a senior National Congress Party official said.

Presidential election

The next presidential elections are due in four years.

Last week Bashir hinted to youth members of his party that he would retire if the NCP adopted a retirement age of 60 for political posts.

The opposition belittled the move, saying the NCP was trying to head off mass protests and feared contagion from popular uprisings which have ousted the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents.

Abdelati said Bashir had also offered to step down as head of the NCP, saying that the move was part of a wider strategy to democratise the country.

Reuters/NAN/Margaret/Yinka