Leaders of opposition parties can be active inside Sudan

Sudanese President Omar El-Bashir announced that the leaders of opposition parties can resume their activity inside Sudan after ratifying a law to allow factional multiplicity.

In press meetings, Bashir said he is not objecting either to the activity of political parties or to the return of any political personality who is not convicted of treason or corruption.

Yet Bashir also confirmed that he will never agree to the formation of secular parties against the Islamic faith. Thus the Sudanese opposition has announced its refusal to the law allowing the formation of political parties, which is to be implemented in January.

Sudanese opposition parties inside and outside the country have refused to take part in discussing the new draft law.

No opposition members or representatives of neutral political bodies attended the first symposium held by a parliamentary committee to discuss the law except the secretary general of the Democratic Unionist Party, El-Sherif Zien El-Abedin, and an academic and follower of former president Jafar Nomeri, Dr. Malek Hussien.

At the beginning of the symposium, the deputy chairman of the parliament, Abdul Aziz Shedo, launched severe attacks on the parties, saying that some of them have misunderstood the calls Sudan has sent out, and considered them calls for reconciliation or steps toward agreement, although the law is not under consideration by any committee for reconciliation.

He said all Sudan aimed at is to expand the scope of discussions on the constitution, and so-called opposition members to debate the Sudanese idea, thus they are free either to accept or refuse the call.