National Congress Party
المؤتمر الوطني |
|
---|---|
Leader | Omar al-Bashir |
Founded | 1996 |
Headquarters | Khartoum |
Newspaper | National Congress |
Ideology |
Islamism Anti-Zionism |
Political position | Far-right |
Religion | Islam (Salafism) |
International affiliation | Muslim Brotherhood |
Colours | Green |
National Assembly of Sudan |
323 / 354
|
Council of States of Sudan |
25 / 50
|
Website | |
Official Website | |
The National Congress or National Congress Party (NCP) (Arabic: المؤتمر الوطني; al-Mu'tamar al-Waṭanī) is the governing official political party of Sudan. It is headed by Omar al-Bashir, who has been President of Sudan since he seized power in a military coup on 30 June 1989, and began institutionalizing Sharia law at a national level. The party follows ideologies such as Islamism, Pan-Arabism, and Arab nationalism.
With Omar al-Bashir becoming President of Sudan, the National Congress Party was established as the only legally recognized political party in the nation in 1998, with very same ideology as its predecessors National Islamic Front (NIF) and the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation, which al-Bashir headed as Chairman until 1993. As the sole political party in the state, its members quickly came to dominate the entire Sudanese parliament. However, after Hassan al-Turabi, the speaker of parliament, introduced a bill to reduce the president's powers, prompting al-Bashir to dissolve parliament and declare a state of emergency, a split began to form inside the organization. Reportedly, al-Turabi was suspended as Chairman of National Congress Party after he urged a boycott of the President's re-election campaign. Then, a splinter-faction led by al-Turabi, the Popular National Congress Party (PNC) which was renamed the Popular Congress Party (PCP) shortly afterwards, signed an agreement with Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), one of the largest rebel groups in the country, which led al-Bashir to believe that they were plotting to overthrow him and the government. Al-Turabi was subsequently imprisoned in 2000 on allegations of conspiracy before being released in October 2003.