National Congress Party (Sudan)

National Congress Party
المؤتمر الوطني
LeaderOmar al-Bashir
Founded1998 (1998)
Banned29 November 2019
Preceded byNational Islamic Front
HeadquartersKhartoum
Paramilitary wingPopular Defence Forces
IdeologyArab-Islamic nationalism
Salafism
Social conservatism

Authoritarianism
Militarism
Right-wing populism
Political positionRight-wing
ReligionSunni Islam
International affiliationMuslim Brotherhood
Colours  Green

The National Congress Party (NCP; Arabic: المؤتمر الوطني, al-Mu'tamar al-Waṭanī) was a major political party of ousted President Omar Al-Bashir, it dominated domestic politics in Sudan from its foundation until it was dissolved following the Sudanese Revolution.

After the split of the National Islamic Front (NIF), the party was divided into two parties. The Islamic Movement led by its secretary Hassan al-Turabi and the military commanded by Omar al-Bashir launched a military coup against Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and President Ahmed al-Mirghani in 1989. Omar al-Bashir, who also became president of the National Congress Party and Sudan, seized power and began institutionalising Sharia at a national level.

After a military coup in 1969, Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry abolished all other political parties, effectively dissolving the Islamic parties. Following political transition in 1985, Turabi reorganised the former party into the National Islamic Front (NIF), which pushed for an Islamist constitution. The NIF ultimately backed another military coup bringing to power Omar al-Bashir, who publicly endorsed the NIF's Islamist agenda. The party structure was composed at the national level of the General Conference, the Shura Council and the Leadership Council, and the Executive Office.

The NCP was established in 1998 by key political figures in the National Islamic Front (NIF) as well as other politicians. The rule of the NCP was the longest in independent contemporary Sudanese history. It grew out of the Islamist student activism of the Muslim Brotherhood, passing through the same revolutionary salafi jihadism. The party followed the ideologies of Islamism, Pan-Arabism, and Arab nationalism.

The NCP was banned by the Sovereignty Council of Sudan in the aftermath of the military takeover on 29 November 2019. All party properties were confiscated and all party members were barred from participating in elections or holding office for ten years.