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Electoral Politics and Religious Parties in Sudan: An Analysis of the April 2010 Election

This paper analyzes the results of the April 2010 Sudanese elections, focusing on the evolution of the party system in Northern Sudan. It is argued that the most relevant element emerging from the polls has been the virtual disappearance of the religious-based traditional parties that had dominated the political scene since independence and the consolidation of the Islamist-military coalition at in Khartoum since 1989. This outcome is the result of the combined effect of state policies pursued during the last two decades and of long-term socioeconomic changes. The disappearance of the “sectarian system” marks a structural change in the political development of the country, which has been characterized by a seemingly inescapable circularity between an unstable democracy and military regimes. Nevertheless, the vote has failed to meet the expectations of those who hoped that multiparty elections could create an inclusive political space and, hopefully, “make unity attractive.”