Country profile
Sudan
Jumhuriyat as-Sudan
Africa · Northern Africa
SD · SDN
- Capital
- Khartoum
- Population
- 51,662,000
- Area
- 1,886,068 km²
- Democracy index
- 2
- Regime type
- Failed State
Events
Ballots from Sudan
The latest elections, referendums, and opinion polls from Sudan. Community totals are not official results.
No published ballots yet
No public ballots yet
Check back later or explore the global feed.
Classification
Democracy profile
The score and regime label are assigned by Porto Voto using our in-house democracy index and classification framework, not ratings from governments or external agencies.
Democracy index
2/100
Regime type
Failed State
Sudan is currently in a state of catastrophic institutional collapse as a result of the ongoing, brutal civil war that erupted in April 2023. The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has decimated national governance capacity, destroyed infrastructure, and displaced millions, leaving the state unable to project authority or provide essential public services across the vast majority of its territory. With the total absence of a functional national government, the rule of law has been replaced by the arbitrary control of warring factions, leading to widespread atrocities, humanitarian emergencies, and the complete suppression of civil society, media, and political life. There is no legitimate competition for power, and the democratic mechanisms that once existed are non-existent in an environment where state survival and physical security are the primary, unfulfilled concerns.
Last evaluation:
How we classify regimes →World Factbook
Country background
A concise introduction to Sudan, together with notes on how power and law are organized, to put local ballots in context.
Long referred to as Nubia, modern-day Sudan was the site of the Kingdom of Kerma (ca. 2500-1500 B.C.) until it was absorbed into the New Kingdom of Egypt. By the 11th century B.C., the Kingdom of Kush gained independence from Egypt; it lasted in various forms until the middle of the 4th century A.D. After the fall of Kush, the Nubians formed three Christian kingdoms of Nobatia, Makuria, and Alodia, with the latter two enduring until around 1500.
Between the 14th and 15th centuries, Arab nomads settled much of Sudan, leading to extensive Islamization between the 16th and 19th centuries. Following Egyptian occupation early in the 19th century, an agreement in 1899 set up a joint British-Egyptian government in Sudan, but it was effectively a British colony. Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since Sudan gained independence from Anglo-Egyptian co-rule in 1956.
During most of the second half of the 20th century, Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars rooted in northern domination of the largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern portion of the country. The first civil war ended in 1972, but another broke out in 1983. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04, and the final North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years, followed by a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan.
South Sudan became independent in 2011, but Sudan and South Sudan have yet to fully implement security and economic agreements to normalize relations between the two countries. Sudan has also faced conflict in Darfur, Southern Kordofan, and Blue Nile starting in 2003. In 2019, after months of nationwide protests, the 30-year reign of President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR ended when the military forced him out.
Economist and former international civil servant Abdalla HAMDOUK al-Kinani was selected to serve as the prime minister of a transitional government as the country prepared for elections in 2022. In late 2021, however, the Sudanese military ousted HAMDOUK and his government and replaced civilian members of the Sovereign Council (Sudan’s collective Head of State) with individuals selected by the military. HAMDOUK was briefly reinstated but resigned in January 2022.
General Abd-al-Fatah al-BURHAN Abd-al-Rahman, the Chair of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, currently serves as de facto head of state and government. He presides over a Sovereign Council consisting of military leaders, former armed opposition group representatives, and military-appointed civilians. A cabinet of acting ministers handles day-to-day administration.