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National Congress Party حزب المؤتمر الوطني | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | NCP |
| Leader | Omar al-Bashir |
| Founded | 1998; 27 years ago (1998)[1] |
| Banned | 29 November 2019 (5 years, 360 days)[2] |
| Preceded by | National Islamic Front |
| Headquarters | Khartoum |
| Armed wing | Popular Defence Forces |
| Ideology | Arab–Islamic nationalism[3] Salafism Social conservatism Authoritarianism Militarism Right-wing populism[4] Islamic economics[5][6] Neoliberalism[5][7] |
| Political position | Right-wing[8][9] |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| International affiliation | Muslim Brotherhood |
| Colours | Green |
| National Assembly (2015) | 323 / 426 |
TheNational Congress Party (NCP;Arabic:حزب المؤتمر الوطني,Ḥizb al-Mu'tamar al-Waṭanī) was a major political party of ousted PresidentOmar al-Bashir, it dominated domestic politics inSudan from its foundation until it was banned following theSudanese Revolution.
After the split of theNational Islamic Front (NIF), the party was divided into two parties. The Islamic Movement led by its secretaryHassan al-Turabi and the military commanded byOmar al-Bashir launched amilitary coup against Prime MinisterSadiq al-Mahdi and PresidentAhmed al-Mirghani in 1989. Omar al-Bashir, who also became president of the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan, seized power and began institutionalisingSharia at a national level.
After amilitary coup in 1969, Sudanese PresidentGaafar Nimeiry abolished all other political parties, effectively dissolving the Islamic parties. Following political transition in 1985, Turabi reorganised the former party into the National Islamic Front (NIF), which pushed for an Islamist constitution. The NIF ultimately backed another military coup bringing to power Omar al-Bashir, who publicly endorsed the NIF's Islamist agenda. The party structure was composed at the national level of the General Conference, the Shura Council and the Leadership Council, and the Executive Office.
The NCP was established in 1998 by key political figures in the National Islamic Front (NIF) as well as other politicians. The rule of the NCP was the longest in independent contemporary Sudanese history. It grew out of the Islamist student activism of theMuslim Brotherhood, passing through the same revolutionarysalafi jihadism. The party followed the ideologies ofIslamism,Pan-Arabism, andArab nationalism.[1]
The NCP was banned by theTransitional Sovereignty Council in the aftermath of themilitary takeover on 29 November 2019. All party properties were confiscated and all party members were barred from participating in elections or holding office for ten years.[2]
WithOmar al-Bashir becomingPresident of Sudan, the National Congress Party (NCP) was established as the only legally recognised political party in the nation in 1998, with the very same ideology as its predecessorsNational Islamic Front (NIF) and theRevolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCCNS-Sudan), which Omar al-Bashir headed as Chairman until 1993.[1] As the sole political party in the state, its members quickly came to dominate the entireSudanese parliament. However, afterHassan al-Turabi, thespeaker of parliament, introduced a bill to reduce the president's powers, prompting Omar al-Bashir to dissolve parliament and declare astate of emergency, a split began to form inside the organisation. Reportedly, Hassan al-Turabi was suspended asChairman of National Congress Party (NCP) after he urged a boycott of the President's re-election campaign. Then, a splinter-faction led by Hassan al-Turabi, thePopular Congress Party (PCP), signed an agreement withSudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), one of the largest rebel groups in the country, which led Omar al-Bashir to believe that they were plotting to overthrow him and the government.[10] Hassan al-Turabi was subsequently imprisoned in 2000 on allegations ofconspiracy before being released in October 2003.[11]
In 2000, following the Sudanese government approvingdemocratic elections that were boycotted by the opposition, it merged with theAlliance of Working Peoples' Forces Party of former PresidentGaafar Nimeiry. This merger later disintegrated with the launch of theSudanese Socialist Democratic Union (SSDU). The utility of the elections was questioned due to their boycotting by theDemocratic Unionist Party (DUP) and theNational Umma Party (NUP). At the legislative elections, held between13–23 December 2000, the party won 355 out of 360 seats. At the presidential elections of the same year, its candidateOmar al-Bashir was re-elected with 86.5% of the popular vote. National Congress Party (NCP) members continued to dominate theLawyers' Union and heads of most of Sudan's agricultural and university student unions. Following theComprehensive Peace Agreement with theSudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in 2005, the NCP-dominated government of Sudan allowed Southern Sudan autonomy for six years, to be followed by a referendum on independence in 2011, thus ending theSecond Sudanese Civil War.South Sudan voted in favour of secession.
Since the outbreak of theWar in Darfur in 2004 between the government ofOmar al-Bashir and rebel groups such as theSudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and theJustice and Equality Movement (JEM), the NCP has been almost universally criticised for allegedly, however not officially, supporting Arab militias such as theJanjaweed through a campaign ofmurder,rape anddeportation against the militants as well as the local population. Because of theguerrilla warfare in the Darfur region, between 200,000[12] and 400,000 people have been killed,[13][14][15] while over 2.5 millionpeople have been displaced[16] and thediplomatic relations betweenSudan andChad has never been worse.[17] This has led to theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) indicting State Minister for Humanitarian AffairsAhmed Haroun and alleged Muslim Janjawid militia leader Ali Mohammed Ali, also known asAli Kushayb, in relation to the atrocities in the region.[18] On 14 July 2008, ten criminal charges were announced against President Omar al-Bashir, and subsequently. awarrant for his arrest was issued.[19][20][21] As of June 2019[update], Omar al-Bashir, Ahmed Haroun andAbdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein, also a member of the National Congress Party (NCP) and indicted by the ICC, were held under detention by Sudanese authorities while theTransitional Military Council held power.[22][23] Ali Kushayb andAbdallah Banda, also indicted by the ICC, remained fugitives as of June 2019[update].[22][23]
Despite his international arrest warrant, PresidentOmar al-Bashir remained the leader of the NCP and its candidate in the elections held between11–15 April 2010, the first election with multiple political parties participating in ten years.[24] His political rival wasVice PresidentSalva Kiir Mayardit, who was also a leader of theSudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and subsequently becamePresident of South Sudan.[25][26] As a result, the NCP won 324 out of 450 seats in the legislative elections and its candidate Omar al-Bashir was re-elected with 68.24% of the popular vote in the presidential elections.
Mass demonstrations began in December 2018 and ultimately oustedOmar al-Bashir in April 2019. After a transitional government came into power in November, it passed a decree that placed a 10-year ban on political activities for the NCP, confiscated its properties and assets, and removed its members from public institutions.[2]
| Election | Candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Omar al-Bashir | 86.5% | Elected Y | |
| 2010 | 6,901,694 | 68.24% | ElectedY | |
| 2015 | 5,252,478 | 94.05% | ElectedY |
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Omar al-Bashir | 355 / 360 | New | 1st | Supermajority government | ||
| 2010 | 324 / 450 |  31 |  1st | Supermajority government | |||
| 2015 | 3,915,590 | 78.32% | 323 / 426 | 1 | 1st | Supermajority government |
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Omar al-Bashir | 1 / 170 | New | 3rd | Minority |
The CTP has been welcomed by centrist and right-wing political groups such as the Sudan National Congress Party and the Ummah Party.
According to El Tagheer, those who stormed the workshop were associates of different right-wing political groups including Omar Al Bashir's now dissolved National Congress Party.
