Goverment
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan
conventional short form: Sudan
local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan
local short form: As-Sudan
former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Data code: SU
Government type:
transitional—previously ruling military junta;
presidential and National Assembly elections held in March 1996; new
constitution drafted by Presidential Committee, went into effect on 30 June 1998
after being approved in nationwide referendum
Capital: Khartoum
Administrative
divisions: 26 states (wilayat, singular—wilayah);
A'ali an Nil, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrat, Al Jazirah, Al Khartum, Al Qadarif,
Al Wahdah, An Nil al Abyad, An Nil al Azraq, Ash Shamaliyah, Bahr al Jabal,
Gharb al Istiwa'iyah, Gharb Bahr al Ghazal, Gharb Darfur, Gharb Kurdufan, Janub
Darfur, Janub Kurdufan, Junqali, Kassala, Nahr an Nil, Shamal Bahr al Ghazal,
Shamal Darfur, Shamal Kurdufan, Sharq al Istiwa'iyah, Sinnar, Warab
Independence:
1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
Constitution:
12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985;
interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June
1989; new constitution implemented on 30 June 1998
Legal system:
based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20
January 1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law
in the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of the northern
states regardless of their religion; some separate religious courts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: NA
years of age; universal, but noncompulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lt. General Umar Hassan Ahmad Al-BASHIR (since 16
October 1993); First Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February
1998), Second Vice President (Police) Maj. General George KONGOR AROP (since NA
February 1994); note—the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President
Lt. General Umar Hassan Ahmad Al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice
President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice
President (Police) Maj. General George KONGOR AROP (since NA February 1994);
note—the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by
the president; note—President al-BASHIR's government is dominated by members
of Sudan's National Islamic Front (NIF), a fundamentalist political organization
formed from the Muslim Brotherhood in 1986; in 1998, the NIF created the
National Congress as its legal front; the National Congress/NIF dominates much
of Khartoum's overall domestic and foreign policies; President al-BASHIR named a
new cabinet on 20 April 1996 which includes members of the National Islamic
Front, serving and retired military officers, and civilian technocrats; on 8
March 1998, he reshuffled the cabinet and brought in several former rebel and
opposition members as ministers. On December 12, 1999 President Al-Bashir
declares state of emergency, dissolves parliament following a power struggle
with parliament Speaker and head of the ruling National Congress. On December
31, 1999, the government cabinet resigns and a new government is in process of
being formed.
elections: president elected by
popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 6-17 March 1996 (next to
be held March, 2001)
election results: Umar Hassan
Ahmad Al-BASHIR elected president; percent of vote—Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR
75.7%; note—about forty other candidates ran for president
note: Al-BASHIR, as chairman of
the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC), assumed power on
30 June 1989 and served concurrently as chief of state, chairman of the RCC,
prime minister, and minister of defense until 16 October 1993 when he was
appointed president by the RCC; upon its dissolution on 16 October 1993, the
RCC's executive and legislative powers were devolved to the president and the
Transitional National Assembly (TNA), Sudan's appointed legislative body, which
has since been replaced by the National Assembly which was elected in March 1996
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (400 seats; 275
elected by popular vote, 125 elected by a supraassembly of interest groups known
as the National Congress)
elections: last held 6-17 March
1996 (next to be held March 2001)
election results: NA; the March
1996 elections were held on a nonparty basis; parties were banned in the new
National Assembly. As of early 1999, a new constitutional amendments allows the
formation of political parties.
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts
Political parties and
leaders: political parties were banned
following 30 June 1989 coup, however, political "associations" are
allowed under a new law drafted in 1998 and implemented on 1 January 1999 and
include—National Congress [Umar Hassan Ahmad Al-BASHIR]
Political pressure
groups and leaders: National Islamic Front or
NIF [Hasan al-TURABI] (banned, but the National Congress operates as its legal
front)
International
organization participation: ABEDA, ACP, AfDB,
AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),
ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic
representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mahdi Ibrahim MAHAMMAD (recalled to Khartoum in
August 1998)
chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565
FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406
Diplomatic
representation from the US: US officials at the
US Embassy in Khartoum were moved for security reasons in February 1996 and have
been relocated to the US Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Cairo, Egypt; they
visit Khartoum monthly, but the Sudanese Government has not allowed such visits
since August 1998; the US Embassy in Khartoum (located on Sharia Abdul Latif
Avenue; mailing address—P.O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829;
telephone—[249] (11) 774611 or 774700; FAX—[249] (11) 774137) is kept open
by local employees; the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya is located temporarily in
the USAID Building at The Crescent, Parkland, Nairobi; mailing address—P.O.
Box 30137, Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831; telephone—[254] (2) 751613;
FAX—[254] (2) 743204; the US Embassy in Cairo, Egypt is located at (North
Gate) 8, Kamel El-Din Salah Street, Garden City, Cairo; mailing address—Unit
64900, APO AE 09839-4900; telephone—[20] (2) 3557371; FAX—[20] (2) 3573200
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
Extracts from Sudan.net