Sudan: seven parties licensed for the first time since 1989

ArabicNews, 8 January 1999

The process of registering political parties started on Wednesday in Khartoum, recalling the political life Sudan witnessed for the last time during the third democratic phase in 1986-1989.

Seven parties were registered on Wednesday: The Democratic Federation Party (a wing of al-Sharif Zein al-Abidin al-Hindi), the National Congress, the Central Sudanese Movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Socialist Masses Party, the Islamic Correction Movement and the Sudanese National Party.

The parties were registered at the records of the well-known politician Muhammad Ahmad Salem who described the registration process in a statement to the London-based al-Hayat daily as very encouraging, and the measures to this end made for one time and can be completed within one month.

Al-Sharif Zein al-Abidin al-Hindi held a press conference on Thursday in which he announced his resignation from the Sudanese National Conference and the dedication of all his time to build the Federal Party. The party will announce its party’s program and arrangements concerning the convening of the general congress.

Suad Ibrahim Ahmad from the Communist party said that that rights are taken by means of force, and that the Sudanese people got by means of struggle its independence, freedom and the right to establish political and social organizations since independence until now. She stressed that masses of the communist parties exist, are effective and seek to make a social uprising, which is looming.

Within the same context, the Federation of Sudanese Workers Trade Unions warned the communist parties against the consequences of its attempts to recruit workers’ movements in its ranks in order to carry its program aiming at toppling the government through bargaining to its local programs in the workers’ trade unions’ circles.

Chairman of the Sudanese Workers Union, Taj al-Serr Abidoun, considered the concentration of the Communist Party on workers as the basics for the communist party program as a losing pledge.

He indicated, Workers’ cells are now free from any communist presence. He noted a competition between the Federal Party, Nation’s Party and the National Congress among workers.