Sudan’s Burhan Calls for Dissolving Hamdok Gov’t

Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (right) and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (left), AFP
Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (right) and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (left), AFP
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Sudan’s Burhan Calls for Dissolving Hamdok Gov’t

Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (right) and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (left), AFP
Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (right) and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (left), AFP

Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has waged a new escalatory campaign against civilians in the political partnership ruling the North African state through its transition period.

Burhan rejected the idea of continuing cooperation with civilians under what he labeled as the “old” partnership framework. Openly calling for dissolving the government headed by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, Burhan underlined the need for assembling a new cabinet that enjoys broad participation and ensures resolving the current political deadlock and overcoming the legislative crisis in the country.

After a few days of relative calm between civil and military ruling authorities in Sudan, aggressive tones returned to the scene as the military disregarded Hamdok’s efforts to get the country out of the impasse it had been experiencing since the failed coup attempt last month.

The foiled insurgency had resulted in an “undeclared freeze” of mechanisms in the partnership between the two ruling authorities.

According to Asharq news channel, Burhan told soldiers at Khartoum’s Bahri Military District that any political solution for Sudan needs to first start with “dissolving the current government and expanding the overall political base of the parties participating in the transition government.”

Burhan also called for the formation of a legislative council that represents all the people, “except for the National Congress,” which was the ruling party under the former regime of Omar al-Bashir.

Speaking on Monday, in front of officers and soldiers and in the presence of a number of army commanders, Burhan said that the armed forces would protect the transitional period until free and fair elections are reached in which the Sudanese people choose who governs them.

Sudan has been experiencing a political crisis between the civilian and military partners of the transitional phase. This crisis was triggered by a failed coup attempt organized by officers in the armed forces on September 21.



Tunisia Groups Urge Inclusion of Rejected Candidates in Poll

FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
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Tunisia Groups Urge Inclusion of Rejected Candidates in Poll

FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo

A petition signed by prominent Tunisians and civil society groups was published on Saturday urging that rejected candidates be allowed to stand in the October 6 presidential election, Agence France Presse reported.

Signed by 26 groups including Legal Agenda, Lawyers Without Borders and the Tunisian Human Rights League, it welcomed an administrative court decision this week to reinstate three candidates who had been disqualified.

They are Imed Daimi, who was an adviser to former president Moncef Marzouki, former minister Mondher Zenaidi and opposition party leader Abdellatif Mekki.

The three were among 14 candidates barred by the Tunisian election authority, ISIE, from standing in the election.

If they do take part, they will join former parliamentarian Zouhair Maghzaoui and businessman Ayachi Zammel in challenging incumbent President Kais Saied.

Saturday's petition was also signed by more than 180 civil society figures including Wahid Ferchichi, dean of the public law faculty at Carthage University.

It called the administrative court "the only competent authority to adjudicate disputes related to presidential election candidacies.”

The petition referred to statements by ISIE head Farouk Bouasker, who on Thursday indicated that the authority will soon meet to finalize the list of candidates, "taking into consideration judicial judgements already pronounced.”

This has been interpreted as suggesting the ISIE may reject new candidacies if they are the subject of legal proceedings or have convictions.

The administrative court's rulings on appeals "are enforceable and cannot be contested by any means whatsoever,” the petition said.

It called on the electoral authority to "respect the law and avoid any practice that could undermine the transparency and integrity of the electoral process.”