Sudan restores prime minister post, appoints long-time ally

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Fri, 03 Mar 2017 - 12:36 GMT

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Fri, 03 Mar 2017 - 12:36 GMT

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir - Youm7 (Archive)

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir - Youm7 (Archive)

CAIRO – 3 March 2017: Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir named his Vice President Bakr Hassan Saleh as Prime Minister Wednesday, restoring a post abolished for 28 years, according to

Youm7

.


The newly-appointed Prime Minister Saleh is a longtime ally of the current president, participated in the military-backed coup following a popular uprising in 1989 and held various positions in the Sudanese cabinet under Bashir’s presidency, reported Youm7.


Members of the National Congress, Sudan’s ruling party, approved the nomination and Saleh’s retention of the post of the first vice president, said

Reuters

, quoting National Congress Party Deputy Leader Ibrahim Mahmoud.


The government approved a constitutional amendment to restore the post in December, following a national dialogue with the opposition that sought to reduce the president’s powers.


Saleh is a retired Colonel General who graduated from the military school in 1970 and took training courses in Egypt before returning to Sudan to participate in the then-civil war between the north and south of Sudan. He played a crucial role in the success of the Islamist military coup that put Bashir in power, and became an ally of the president.


Saleh held numerous posts in the government, including head of the national intelligence body, Minister of Interior, Minister of Defense and first vice president. Saleh is also expected to succeed Bashir if the later keeps his promise of not running in the next elections in 2020. Reuters said Saleh’s appointment as prime minister is the “clearest sign yet” that Bashir intends him to one day take over.

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