Sudan Moves to Dissolve Ex-ruling Party

By Staff, Agencies

Sudanese transitional authorities approved a law on Thursday to dissolve the former ruling party and repealed a public order law used to regulate women’s behavior under ex-president Omar al-Bashir, the justice minister said.

The two measures responded to key demands by a protest movement that helped overthrow Bashir in April.

Their implementation will be a crucial test of how far transitional authorities are willing or able to go to overturn nearly three decades of rule by Bashir, who took power in a 1989 coup and whose Islamist movement penetrated deep into Sudan’s institutions.

The law to dissolve Bashir’s National Congress Party [NCP] also allows for the party’s assets to be seized, Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdelbari said. State TV described it as a measure to “dismantle” the former regime.

The Sudanese Professionals Association [SPA], which spearheaded the protests against Bashir, welcomed the law.

“It is an important step on the path to building a democratic civilian state,” the group said in a statement.

The law was passed during a marathon, 14-hour meeting of Sudan’s sovereign council and cabinet. The meeting saw disputes over an article that bans people who took leading posts in the former regime from practicing politics, sources with knowledge of the proceedings told Reuters.