Sudan's Beshir quits army to run again for presidency



KHARTOUM - Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir announced on Monday that he is stepping down as head of the army in accordance with electoral law so that he can stand for re-election in April polls.
"President Beshir has relinquished his functions as chief of the armed forces. He will also retire as an officer," his spokesman Emad Said Ahmed told AFP, adding that the president had not yet named a successor as army chief.



Omar al-Beshir
Omar al-Beshir
Beshir has held the post since June 1989, after overthrowing the democratically elected government of Sadeq al-Mahdi in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989.
April's elections will be Sudan's first multi-party poll since the vote that brought Mahdi to power in 1986.
According to Sudan's 2007 law on political parties, party members cannot also be in the army, judges or diplomats.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, January 11th 2010
AFP
           


New comment:
Twitter

News | Politics | Features | Arts | Entertainment | Society | Sport

At a glance