The Sudan Handbook

islamism & thE statE 175

held for the National Assembly, and so were presidential elections. Omar

al-Bashir became the ‘elected’ president of the state and, as mentioned

earlier, Hassan al-Turabi became the National Assembly Speaker.

The new ‘elected’ National assembly soon initiated measures to draft

a permanent constitution for the Republic of Sudan. The process was

completed in 1998 with the adoption of a new permanent constitution

that came into effect on 1 July 1998. The constitution legitimized the

existing presidential federal system, but adopted a rather moderate tone

with regard to religion and state by being silent on the religion of the

state, and placing Islamic sharia as a source of legislation on a par with

custom and consensus. It also made citizenship the basis of all rights

and duties regardless of religion or race. Among the most significant, and

indeed controversial articles, was the adoption of a formula that allowed

a measure of limited and controlled pluralism (al-tawali al-siyasi) that

falls far short of outright multipartyism.

The 1998 constitution has apparently affected the concept and guiding

principles of the governing political organ, the National Congress and

its transformation into the National Congress Party. Initially, the NCP

was projected not as a political party, but rather a political structure that

provided a framework for popular participation and grassroots democracy.

The formula of the Congresses’ System rested on the gradual establish-

ment of popular congresses at the local level – urban neighbourhoods

or villages – to the provincial and state levels and finally the national/

federal level which would become the National Congress and also include

representatives of professional and mass organizations. By emphasising

the non-partisan, non-ideological nature of the new political structure,

the Islamist leadership was hoping to appeal to, and eventually attract

the constituencies of the mainstream opposition parties, Umma and

DUP. Turabi in particular, was convinced that the bulk of the DUP and

Umma constituencies generally supported an Islamic orientation, but the

leaderships of these parties – over the years – proved an obstacle to an

Islamic transformation of the state and its policies. Now that the DUP

and Umma leaderships had been sidelined as a result of the June 1989

The Sudan Handbook, edited by John Ryle, Justin Willis, Suliman Baldo and Jok Madut Jok. © 2011 Rift Valley Institute and contributors power takeover, there was an opportunity to reach out directly to these

(www.riftvalley.net).