KHARTOUM, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese opposition parties on Thursday divided among themselves where some decided to boycott the general elections, slated for April this year, some decided to participate and others said would announce their positions later.

After a prolonged meeting in Khartoum Thursday, the opposition parties issued a statement in which they said they have decided to boycott the elections.

However, the Popular Congress, the National Alliance and the Sudanese Congress parties have said they would participate in the elections, while the two major parties, the National Umma, led by Sidq al-Mahdi, and the Democratic Unionist Party, led by Mohamed Osman al-Merghani, have not yet decided their position.

The statement demanded postponement of the elections until November citing the lack of suitable political atmosphere, and the need to avail the opportunity to resolve the Darfur issue and involve the region in the elections.

The opposition parties, in their statement, also demanded dissolving of the National Elections Commission (NEC) and replacing it with personas, to be selected consensually by the political parties and the government, and correcting the NEC mistakes.

"The Sudanese political parties' alliance has seen defects in the current electoral process, a matter which will cause the elections to be unfair," the statement said.
The opposition parties further accused the NEC of being biased in favor of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).

In the meantime, the Umma Party (Reform and Renewal) and the Communist Party affirmed that they have withdrawn their candidates from the Sudanese presidential race.

"We have decided to withdraw from the presidential and legislative elections and we will not return to take part unless the government agrees to reform the NEC and respond to the complaints filed on broad violations in the electoral process," Spokesman of the Sudanese opposition parties, Farouq Abu Iyssa told reporters Thursday.

Mohamed Ibrahim Nugud, the chairman of the Sudanese Communist Party and the party's presidential candidate said that his party had decided to boycott the elections at all levels.

As for the Popular Congress Party, led by Hassan al-Turabi, it said it would participate in the elections.

The Democratic Unionist Party has not stated whether it would participate in the elections or boycott them, but the party leader Mohamed Osman al-Merghani earlier in the day affirmed that his party's position regarding the elections "will be decided in the coming days."

Abdul-Aziz Khalid, the presidential candidate of the National Alliance Party, and four others have affirmed their participation in the elections.

On Wednesday, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) announced withdrawal of its presidential candidate and said it would boycott the elections in the Darfur region.