1968 Sudanese parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Sudan between 12 April and 2 May 1968. The election followed the resignation of a third of the members of the Assembly elected in 1965.[1] The result was a victory for the new Democratic Unionist Party, formed by a merger of the National Unionist Party and the People's Democratic Party in December 1967 and led by President Ismail al-Azhari, which won 101 of the 218 seats. Voter turnout was 61.0%.[2]

1968 Sudanese parliamentary election

← 1965 12 April – 2 May 1968 1974 →

All 218 seats in Parliament
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Ismail al-Azhari Sadiq al-Mahdi Imam al-Hadi al-Mahdi
Party DUP Umma–Sadiq Umma–Imam
Last election 62
Seats won 101 36 30
Seat change Increase39 New New
Popular vote 742,226 384,986 329,952
Percentage 40.79% 21.16% 18.13%

Prime Minister before election

Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub
NUP

Elected Prime Minister

Muhammad Ahmad Mahgoub
NUP

In contrast, since the last election the Umma Party had fractured, with competing wings being led by Sadiq al-Mahdi and Imam al-Hadi al-Mahdi. Whilst Sadiq's Umma party emerged as the stronger of the two wings, Sadiq actually lost his own seat in the election to a rival from the Imam wing.[3] In total the various Umma party affiliates won some 827,289 votes, or 45.46% of the vote, compared to the 40.8% won by the DUP. The Umma affiliates won only 72 seats, in contrast to the 90 seats won at the previous election.

Results

edit
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Democratic Unionist Party742,22640.79101+39
Umma Party–Sadiq384,98621.1636New
Umma Party–Imam329,95218.1330New
Sudan African National Union60,4933.3215+5
Islamic Charter Front44,5522.453–2
Umma Party43,2882.386–86
Southern Front39,8222.1910New
Socialist Front21,8141.200New
Socialists19,6901.080New
Beja Congress15,3820.853–7
National Unionist Party10,1590.560New
Tenants' Union6,6610.370New
Workers' Forces5,2040.291New
Nuba Mountains Union3,1710.172New
Sudanese Nile Party2,7040.151New
Liberal1,8440.100New
Islamic1,7720.100New
Western Sudan Union1,6950.090New
Sudanese Communist Party[a]1,6520.090New
Democratic South1,5350.080New
Unity1,4780.080New
Workers' Federation6680.040New
Peace3870.020New
Socialist Democrats2200.010New
National Unionist Party–Sadiq630.000New
Congress of New Forces330.000New
No political affiliation[a]8,2640.451New
Independents70,0473.859–12
Total1,819,762100.00218+11
Valid votes1,819,76297.68
Invalid/blank votes43,1392.32
Total votes1,862,901100.00
Registered voters/turnout3,051,11861.06
Source: Nohlen et al.
  1. ^ a b Although the Sudanese Communist Party had been banned in 1966, and could not formally participate in the election, two candidates were listed in the official election results as 'Communists'. The party's general secretary Abdel Khaliq Mahjub was elected from Omdurman South but listed by the Election Commission as having 'no political affiliation'.[4][5][6][7]

References

edit
  1. ^ Sudan Inter-Parliamentary Union
  2. ^ Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p855 ISBN 0-19-829645-2
  3. ^ Dictionary Of Modern Arab History. Routledge. p. 259.
  4. ^ ARR: Arab Report and Record. Economic Features, Limited. 1968. p. 144.
  5. ^ Timothy Niblock (25 November 1987). Class and Power in Sudan: The Dynamics of Sudanese Politics, 1898–1985. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 230. ISBN 978-1-349-08836-2.
  6. ^ Peter K. Bechtold (1976). Politics in the Sudan: Parliamentary and Military Rule in an Emerging African Nation. Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-275-22730-2.
  7. ^ Robert S. Kramer; Richard Andrew Lobban; Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban (2013). Historical Dictionary of the Sudan. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-8108-6180-0.