retained it through several transitional governments in the early
and mid-90s before being popularly elected for the first time in March
1996 election results: Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president;
percent of vote - Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR 86.5%, Ja'afar Muhammed
NUMAYRI 9.6%, three other candidates received less than a combined 4%
of the vote; election widely viewed as rigged; all popular opposition
parties boycotted elections because of a lack of guarantees for a free
and fair poll cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president;
note - the National Congress Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic
Front or NIF) dominates BASHIR's cabinet head of government: First Vice
President Ali Uthman Muhammad TAHA (since 17 February 1998), Second Vice
President Moses MACHAR (since 12 February 2001); note - the president
is both the chief of state and head of government

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (360 seats; 270
popularly elected, 90 elected by supra assembly of interest groups
known as National Congress; members serve four-year terms) elections:
last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held NA December 2004) note:
on 12 December 1999, BASHIR dismissed the National Assembly during an
internal power struggle between the president and the speaker of the
National Assembly Hassan al-TURABI election results: NCP 355, others 5

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts

Political parties and leaders: the government allows political
"associations" under a 1998 law revised in 2000; to obtain government
approval parties must accept the constitution and refrain from advocating
or using violence against the regime; approved parties include the
National Congress Party or NCP [Ibrahim Ahmed UMAR], Popular National
Congress or PNC [Hassan al-TURABI], and over 20 minor, pro-government
parties

Political pressure groups and leaders: National Congress Party [Ibrahim
Ahmed UMAR]; Popular National Congress [Hassan al-TURABI]; Umma [Sadiq
al-MAHDI]; Democratic Unionist Party [Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI];
National Democratic Alliance [Muhammed Uthman AL-MIRGHANI, chairman];
Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army [Dr. John GARANG]

International organization participation: ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL,
AMF, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent),
ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, P