Sudan: National Congress Party Condemns Authorities' Move to Dissolve It

Arab World

November 29th, 9:17am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Thousands of Sudanese rallied late last month in several cities, urging the new authorities to dissolve the former ruling party. AFP

Ousted President Omar al-Bashir's party on Friday condemned what it described as new "illegal government" for ordering its closure and the dismantling of the regime. The National Congress Party accused the authorities of trying to confiscate NCP properties to help tackle Sudan's economic crisis, which it said the new government had failed to tackle. "To rely on the assets of the party, if there are any, is nothing more than a moral scandal, an act of intellectual bankruptcy and a total failure on the part of the illegal government," the Islamist NCP said on its Facebook page. Sudan's new authorities ordered earlier on Thursday that the party of Bashir be dissolved and his regime be "dismantled", heeding the call of protesters whose campaign led to the leader's overthrow. Bashir and his party had ruled the northeast African country since 1989 before a nationwide protest movement resulted in him being deposed earlier this year. The country's new ruling sovereign council and the cabinet led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok made the decision to dissolve the party, approving a law titled "Dismantling of the regime of 30th June 1989," AFP reported. "The National Congress Party is dissolved and its registration is cancelled from the list of political parties in Sudan," the decree said, adding that a committee would be formed to confiscate all its properties and assets. "None of the symbols of the regime or party would be allowed to engage in any political activity for 10 years". The dissolution of the party was "not a revenge" against the country's former rulers, Hamdok wrote on Twitter. "But it aims to preserve the dignity of Sudanese people which was crushed by dishonest people." "This law aims to recover the plundered wealth of the people." Wajdi Salah, a spokesman of the umbrella protest movement Forces of Freedom and Change, said on his Facebook page that the old regime party would be dismantled completely. The Sudanese Professionals Association, the protest group that had initially led the demonstrations against Bashir, praised the decision to dismantle the former regime. "It is a major step towards achieving the goal of the revolution and on the path of building a democratic civilian state," the SPA said in a statement. Thousands of Sudanese rallied late last month in several cities, urging the new authorities to dissolve the former ruling party. According to AFP, Bashir is being held in a prison in Khartoum facing trial on charges of corruption. Several other officials of his government and senior party members are also in jail.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2013516/sudan-national-congress-party-condemns-authorities-move-dissolve-it