News Article by PANA posted on November 26, 2000 at 18:31:53: EST (-5 GMT)
Bashir, Nimeri's Candidacy Challenged in Court
Panafrican News Agency
November 26, 2000
By Yahya el
Hassan
Khartoum, Sudan
Sudan's Constitutional Court Sunday accepted two suites filed by
a
renowned lawyer challenging the candidacies of incumbent President
Omar
el Bashir and former President Ga'afar Nimeri for the 23
December
Presidential elections.
Lawyer Mahmoud Sha'arani, said Bashir as the country's President
has the
power to order all government institutions, including the
National Elections
Commission, to facilitate his election.
"As President, Bashir is enjoining information privileges that
other
candidates cannot have access to. The television and the
national
radio have to cover all the daily activity of the President whereas
such
information opportunities are not available to other
candidates,"
Sha'arani claimed in his letter to the court.
He alleged that as General Commander of Sudan's Armed Forces
Bashir can
also influence the voting of the Army forces personnel.
"These advantages Bashir enjoys may influence the vote result,"
Sha'arani
argued.
The Lawyer also considers the nomination of former President Nimeri
as "a
provocation" of the public feelings.
"This man was ousted in a popular uprising and there was public
consensus
against his rule," Sha'arani said, adding:
"If it is imperative that a man with such a background should run for
the
presidency, the public should first be consulted in a
general
referendum."
Meanwhile, the court has also agreed to consider a protest filed
by
presidential candidate Ahmed Mohammed Eisa, whose application
was
rejected by the Election Commission based on a claim that he
could not pay
the election fee of 140.000 dinars (258 dinars=1USD).
Eisa's lawyer, Ghazi Suleiman, said financial ability should not be
a
criterion for choosing the country's rulers.
An official, Yahya Abdalla said the court will consider the three
suites
according to the law. But he gave no time frame.
Apart from Bashir and Nimeri, businessmen Samawal Hussien and
Mahmoud
Jiha, are the two other candidates cleared for the
presidential poll.