Sudan Launches Workshop on Transitional Constitutional Framework

Sudan's military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. (EPA)
Sudan's military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. (EPA)
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Sudan Launches Workshop on Transitional Constitutional Framework

Sudan's military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. (EPA)
Sudan's military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. (EPA)

The Sudanese Bar Association organized on Monday a workshop on the transitional constitutional framework at a time when multiple initiatives have been trying to resolve the political crisis in the North African nation.

The three-day workshop will be followed by the formation of a mechanism that will draft the transitional constitution, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

According to observers, the workshop is a continuation of the dialogue between civilian and military authorities in Sudan.

It is expected to focus on addressing the tasks entrusted to authorities in the transitional period, the duration of the transitional government, and transitional structures.

It will also tackle defining the role of the military and security institutions during the transitional period.

The Popular Congress Party, founded by late Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi, the Democratic Unionist Party, led by Muhammad Othman al-Mirghani, and resistance committees and civil society organizations are participating in the workshop.

Key opposition parties are also taking part. They include the Republican Party and the National Umma Party.

From the international community, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Sudan and head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) Volker Perthes, representatives from the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the European Union were attending.

The workshop also saw the participation of the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, and the Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Sudan.



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.”