Sudan Parliament Meets After 18 Years, Asks Delay in Power Swap

A new Parliament convened here Saturday after 18 years of one-party or military rule, and in one of its first official acts, it asked the Sudanese military to stay in power for another 10 days until a coalition government can be formed.

More than 250 members of the National Assembly, wearing turbans and traditional flowing djellabas, or white robes, took the oath of office in the People’s Hall, marking the beginnings of democracy after 17 years of one-party rule by President Jaafar Numeiri. A military council, whose leaders overthrew Numeiri a year ago, has held power since then.

The lawmakers, who must write a constitution and choose a prime minister, accepted the resignation of the military council, then adopted a resolution calling on the officers to continue to govern until a civilian government is formed.

About 5,000 jubilant people marched through the capital to the assembly hall to celebrate the opening of the legislative session. The ceremonies, broadcast nationwide, obscured for a few hours the deep political differences that have blocked agreement on forming a new government.

The Umma party, a centrist, Islamic group led by Sadek Mahdi, has the most seats in the new assembly but does not command a majority. It is likely to seek to form a coalition with its traditional rivals, the Democratic Unionists.