Democratic Unionist Party (Sudan)

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For other political parties named Democratic Unionist Party, see Democratic Unionist Party (Disambiguation).'

The Democratic Unionist Party (Al Hizb Al-Ittihadi Al-Dimuqrati) is the oldest political party in Sudan.

Sudan's first post-independence President Ismail al-Azhari was a member of the party when it was known as the National Unionist Party.

The party's main platform is in favour of the integration or union of Sudan and Egypt.

There is evidence to suggest that Egyptian authorities bribed Democratic Unionist Party members and the electorate in Sudan's elections in the late 50's.

The symbolic head of the Sudan DUP is AlSayyid Muhammad Othman AlMirghani. He is also the head of the Khatmiyya Sufi brotherhood and a descendant of Muhammad. He leads the main DUP from his long self-imposed exile in Egypt.

Today there are two factions of the Democratic Unionist Party, apart from the one led by AlSayyid Muhammad Othman AlMirghani.

One of these factions was led by the son of Sudan's first President, Muhammad Ismail Al-Azhari who died in a car accident in April of 2006.

Another DUP faction was led by AlSharif Zein AlAbdin Al-Hindi who hails from a family of politicised sufis and passed away on the 13th of October 2006, the 21st of Ramadan 1427.

Other DUP notables who have splintered off from AlSayed Muhammad Othman Al-Mirghani's DUP include AlHaj Mudawwi.

The last legislative elections, December 2000, were boycotted by the party.

The DUP, AlSharif Zein AlAbdin AlHindi's faction, is represented in Sudan's Government of National Unity in the executive, most notbaly through Minister of Industry Jalal Yousef AlDigeir. The DUP is also represented in Sudan's legislature, in the Sudanese parliament.

The DUP, AlSayyid Muhammad Othman AlMirghani's faction, requested representation in the legislature of South Sudan but this was rejected by the SPLM dominated Government of South Sudan.