The
Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir dismissed speculations about a
possible ‘Arab Spring’ in his country suggesting it is a far-fetched scenario.
“Those who are waiting for the Arab Spring to come
will be waiting for a while,” Bashir told the first day of the ruling National
Congress Party (NCP) general conference.
He stressed that the Arab Spring in Sudan already
took place through his bloodless coup which he led in 1989 against the democratically
elected government of al-Sadiq al-Mahdi.
Bashir also revealed that the new cabinet will be
formed in the coming days with what he said is wide participation from
political forces.
The Sudanese leader said that the dialogue with
political parties over the prior period will form a seed for crafting the new
constitution.
But Bashir mocked those who talk about worsening
economic political situation saying that
they are the same ones riding luxurious cars, eating the best food and are safe
in their homes.
He also vowed to crush the rebellions staged by the
Sudan People Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.
On the economic side, Bashir said that his party is
working on combating poverty, curtailing government spending and addressing
economic conditions resulting from the separation of the south and loss of the
vast oil reserves as a result.
The NCP general conference will discuss amendments to
the party’s statute which are expected to generate a lot of debate.
Mustafa Osman Ismail, NCP foreign relations officer,
was quoted by Sudan
official news agency (SUNA) as saying that changes will include percentages of
representation at the General Conference or the Shura, or at the state level.
He said that the purpose of this is reducing the
rates of selection and increasing rates of the sectors that come through
conferences. He added that the proposed changes reduce selection rates from 10%
to 5% and elevation across sectors from 20% to 15%.
There will also be increases to participation rate of
youths and women in party structures, Ismail said.
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