Section 3: current government situation

Third section of paper: current government situation

The current government in Sudan can hardly be called a government at all. The government in Sudan is titled as a Federal Republic. It is made up of a legislative, a judicial, and an executive branch. There are “democratic” elections that determine who the president of the country will be. In words the government sounds strikingly similar to ours, but in reality, Sudan has one of the most corrupt governments in the world. The US Department of State reports that government officials frequently engage in corrupt practices, as officials suspected of corruption are only rarely investigated (US Department of State, 2009). Poorly paid and trained administrative staff, inefficient government bureaucracy, lax record keeping combined with a general lack of transparency and oversight provide both opportunities and incentives for corruption and rent-seeking behavior (Business Anti- Corruption Portal, 2010). The majority of Sudanese citizens have reported bribes being paid to authorities. (Transparency International, 2011). The government provides the public with minimal information on the government’s budget and financial activities, making it virtually impossible for citizens to hold the government accountable for its management of public money. According to the U.S. department of state, over 2.3 billion dollars could have been embezzled from government institutions. The idea of democratic elections in Sudan is a good thing, but in the run up to the elections, many candidates apparently withdrew their candidacies in favor of rival candidates in exchange for cash, or other material resources or jobs. Not to mention the ongoing practice of crimes against humanity that the government forces upon its people.