News Article by AFP posted on October 28, 2000 at 18:13:44: EST (-5 GMT)
Opposition leader Turabi to boycott Sudanese elections, warns of uprising
By Mohamed Ali Saeed
KHARTOUM, Oct 28 (AFP)-- Sudanese Islamist opposition leader
Hassan
al-Turabi said Saturday his party will boycott the coming
elections, saying
they are both illegitimate and unconstitutional
and will not be free and
fair.
Turabi said his party would continue exposing "all
unconstitutional
shortcomings and corruption", and would not resort
to force but warned: "If
all avenues are blocked before us, there
will be an uprising."
"The PNC Consultative Council has decided to boycott the
presidential and
legislative elections and the accompanying
referendum on amendments of the
Constitution and that the party will
strive within the limited margin of
freedom to expose the
malpractices in preparations of the elections," Turabi
told a news
conference at his home here Saturday.
He warned that his party would "bear the consequences of
detention and
arbitrary measures and pursue its stance until the
public life in Sudan is
reformed with the exit of this regime from
the power it is holding
illegitimately."
Preparations for both the presidential and parliamentary
elections due
December 11-20 have already started with the
publication of electoral lists.
President Omar al-Beshir has already been declared candidate by
the ruling
National Congress (NC) party, although nominations were
not due till November
13-16.
Turabi has accused Beshir's government of suspending mos of
the
Constitution, referring to what he called the "arbitrary"
dissolution
of the National Assemby which he led, and claiming that
it has frozen the
federal system.
He also charged it had imposed a centralised system by
appointing
governors of states who, according to the Constitution,
should be elected by
people living in those states.
"The elections will be held in the absence of the Constitutional
basic
freedoms and will be organised by electoral committees of the
government
employees and army officers," said Turabi.
He said equal opportunities among the candidates would also be
lacking,
claiming that millions of pounds would be taken from the
public treasury and
from donations imposed on public and private
businesses to meet election
expenses of candidates.