Sudan Government

The government of Sudan is carried out as a representative democratic republic, which means the population elects individuals to represent their interests in government. Additionally, Sudan has often been classified as a consociational state, in reference to its government being divided along major issues such as language, religion, and ethnicity. The President of Sudan acts as the Head of State and the Head of Government. Legislative duties are administered by the National Legislature, a bicameral body that consists of the Council of States (50 seats) and the National Assembly (426 seats).

Presidential elections in Sudan take place in a two-round system. In this system, a candidate must win the majority in the first round to avoid a second round of voting. Elections for the National Legislature, however, take a variety of forms. Half of the National Assembly members are elected based on majority vote, the number of representatives from each constituency depends on the population size (ranges from 2 to 36). An additional 128 positions must be filled by female representatives, who are elected based on a closed list system in which the political parties choose the candidates. The same system is used for the remaining 85 positions.

Both houses of the National Legislature convene in Khartoum, the capital of the country. The parliamentary palace was built in a low, square shape with reddish orange colored bricks. The entrance to the building is a wide cement staircase. The outside is lined with vertical, rectangular windows, which are separated by long, concrete dividers. The parking lot surrounds all sides of the building.

The government of Sudan is considered a multi-party system, although only one party holds the majority of the power. The President, who has been in office since 1989, belongs to the National Congress Party. This same party hold 323 of the 426 seats in the National Assembly and 25 of the 50 seats in the Council of States. Other political parties represented in the legislative body include: Democratic Unionist Party, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, and other independent parties.