SPA: 'Sovereign council presidency must rotate between civilians and military'

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) stated on Monday that the negotiations with the Transitional Military Council (TMC) did not fail, but rather stopped temporarily.  The SPA added that a return to the negotiation table depends on the military junta’s agreement that the presidency of the Sovereign Council should rotate between civilians and military leaders.

The SPA indicated in a statement, posted on its official Facebook page, that the lowest negotiation ceiling for the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change is a periodic presidency of the Sovereign Council between civilians and the army, reported the Anadolu Agency.

The statement also conveyed that the SPA’s “position is based on the protesters’ demands to have a civilian majority within the Sovereignty Council or guarantee that the representation of civilians within the council exceeds the equivalent of 50% + 1.

The SPA stressed in its statement that all agreements with the TMC concerning the executive and legislative government still exist.

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Last Tuesday, the TMC and the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change failed to reach a final agreement concerning arrangements for the transitional period in terms of representation ratios and the presidency of the Sovereign Council.

Last Wednesday, the TMC declared that a full agreement on “the structures and jurisdiction of the organs of power during the transitional period, i.e. a Sovereign Council, a cabinet and a legislative council, has been reached with the forces of the Declaration of Freedom and Change

The military junta insisted on holding a majority in the Sovereignty Council as well as ensuring a military presidency, while the Sudanese opposition demanded a civilian majority and a periodic presidency.

Since 6 April, thousands of Sudanese citizens have gathered in front of the army headquarters in Khartoum to pressure the military junta to speed up the handover of power to civilians, amid fears that the army is intending to overlook demands for change, according to protesters.

On 11 April, the military leadership has removed Omar Al-Bashir from the presidency after 30 years in power, following the outbreak of popular protests that began late last year, denouncing the deterioration of economic conditions in Sudan.