Sudan ruling party to back Bashir’s third term

Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party says it will back Omar al-bashir, the president, as a candidate in the 2020 elections, a move that would require an amendment to the constitution, which allows only two five-year terms.

The veteran leader has been in power since a 1989 military coup but has only faced contested elections since the new laws took effect in 2010.

Bashir has previously said he would step down in 2020, and has not explicitly stated his intention to run again in the forthcoming poll.