Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir will not stand for re-election, an official of his National Congress Party said on Monday. "I can confirm, 100 percent, that Bashir is not going to run for president in the next election. He will actually give a chance to different personalities to compete for the position," Rabie Abdul Ati told AFP.
The official said there was no connection between this decision and the turmoil in the Arab world. "But he is not under pressure... This is not in the context of the change that is happening in the Arab world. It is happening because of the political strategy of the NCP to broaden participation," he stated.
Bashir won a new term in office in elections last April, despite being indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and genocide in Darfur.
