Republic of the Sudan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Polity type | Federalprovisionalrepublic |
| Constitution | 2019 Draft Constitutional Declaration |
| Legislative branch | |
| Name | Transitional Legislative Authority |
| Type | Unicameral |
| Meeting place | Omdurman |
| Executive branch | |
| Head of state | |
| Title | Presidency |
| Currently | Transitional Sovereignty Council |
| Appointer | Commander-in-Chief of theArmed Forces |
| Head of government | |
| Title | Prime Minister |
| Currently | Kamil Idris |
| Appointer | Transitional Sovereignty Council |
TheGovernment of Sudan is thefederalprovisional government created by theConstitution of Sudan having executive, parliamentary, and the judicial branches. Previously, apresident washead of state,head of government, andcommander-in-chief of theSudanese Armed Forces in ade juremulti-party system. Legislative power was officially vested in both the government and in the two houses – theNational Assembly (lower) and theCouncil of States (upper) – of the bicameralNational Legislature. Thejudiciary is independent and obtained by the Constitutional Court.[1]
However, following theSecond Sudanese Civil War and the ongoinggenocide in Darfur,Sudan was widely recognized as atotalitarian state where all effective political power was held by PresidentOmar al-Bashir and hisNational Congress Party (NCP).[2][3][4][5] However, al-Bashir and the NCP were ousted in amilitary coup on April 11, 2019.[6][7] The government of Sudan was then led by theTransitional Military Council (TMC).[8][9][10][11] On 20 August 2019, the TMC dissolved, giving its authority over to theTransitional Sovereignty Council, who were planned to govern for 39 months until 2022, in the process oftransitioning to democracy. However, the Sovereignty Council and the Sudanese government were dissolved in October 2021,[12] whenGeneral Abdel Fattah al-Burhan seized power ina coup d'état, dissolved the Sovereignty Council, and reconstituted it the following month with new membership, keeping himself as chairman.[13][14]
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presidency | Transitional Sovereignty Council | Military | 11 November 2021 |
| Prime Minister | Kamil Idris | Independent | 19 May 2025 |
President al-Bashir's government was dominated by members of Sudan'sNational Islamic Front (NIF), a fundamentalist political organization formed from theMuslim Brotherhood in 1986. In 1998, the NIF founded theNational Congress Party (NCP) as its legal front. the NCP/NIF dominates much ofKhartoum's overall domestic and foreign policies. President al-Bashir named a new cabinet on April 20, 1996 which includes members of the NIF, serving and retired military officers, and civilian technocrats. On March 8, 1998, he reshuffled the cabinet and brought in several former rebel and opposition members as ministers. He reshuffled his cabinet again on January 24, 2000 but announced few changes. A government of national unity was sworn in on 22 September, with 16 members from the National Congress, nine from theSudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and two from the northern oppositionNational Democratic Alliance, which left the seats vacant in protest over how the posts were allocated. TheDarfur rebels were not represented. Al-Bashir, as chairman of theRevolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC), assumed power on June 30, 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 elected in March 1996; on December 12, 1999 Bashir dismissed the National Assembly during an internal power struggle between the president and speaker of the ParliamentHassan al-Turabi.
On April 11, 2019, al-Bashir was ousted ina coup led by Vice President and Defense MinisterAhmed Awad Ibn Auf, with his government then being dissolved afterwards.[17][18] On April 12, 2019, Auf, who still served as Minister of Defense, handed power to Lt. GeneralAbdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan, general inspector of the armed forces.[19][20] Auf would also give up his position as Minister of Defense on April 14, 2019.[21] On October 25, 2021, Burhan dissolved the Sudanese government and the Sovereignty Council which ruled Sudan in the aftermath of al-Bashir's downfall followinganother successful coup.[22][23][24]
Ministries include:
The country was recently in a transitional period following the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on 9 January 2005 that officially ended thecivil war between the Sudanese Government (based inKhartoum) and the southern-basedSudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) rebel group. The newly formedNational Legislature, whose members were chosen in mid-2005, had two chambers. TheNational Assembly (Majlis Watani) consisted of 450 appointed members who represent the government, former rebels, and other opposition political parties. TheCouncil of States (Majlis Welayat) had 50 members who are indirectly elected by state legislatures. All members of the National Legislature served six-year terms. However, the National Legislature was dissolved during the April 2019 coup as well.[25] Since February 2025, aTransitional Legislative Authority has performed the role of Sudan's legislature.[26]
Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Court.
The legal systemis based onIslamic law; as of January 20, 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 compulsoryInternational Court of Justice jurisdiction, with reservations.
Sudan is divided into eighteen states, each of which were governed by a governor and council of ministers, each member of each state of council of ministers were appointed by the president of the country. The elections of governors was different from others, the president picks three people who he decided will be running against each other, the one who wins at least 50% popular vote is the governor of that state. If no one wins at least 50% popular vote, the person with the fewest votes is disqualified from the campaign and they redo the election and then someone has to have at least 50% popular vote. State governments and their legislative councils were also dissolved during the April 2019 coup. The following are the states of Sudan:
Relations between the central government and local authorities have been a persistent problem in Sudan.[27] According to theInterim National Constitution, each state had its own legislative, executive, and judicial organs.[27] The state-empowered local government and state constitutions determined the organization and electoral procedures for local government.[27] Each state was headed by a governor and a state council of ministers.[27] The governor, together with the state council of ministers, exercised the executive powers of the state in compliance with the schedule of responsibilities set forth in the Interim National Constitution.[27] Each state had its own capital and was divided into several localities or provinces, which, in turn, were subdivided into administrative units.[27] Governors were elected in 2010, and they appointed their own ministers.[27] All 15 Northern governors were from the NCP except for the Blue Nile governor, who was a member of the SPLM.[27] Revenue flowed upward to the federal treasury.[27] Some levels of government became so small, however, that they did not have a solid financial base.[27]
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