[JURIST] Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir (official profile on the Sudan's government website) asked the Sudanese National Assembly Tuesday to extend for a year the state of emergency currently in effect in Sudan. The present emergency declaration is set to terminate December 31. A state of emergency limits the democratic rights of the general population and increases the control that the national government exercises; the Sudanese constitution's provisions on emergency law are here. The largely pro-government parliament is likely to approve the measure, though opposition members are decrying the attempt as nothing more than a move to rule the country through emergency laws rather than face the realities of the democratic process. JURIST's Paper Chase has continuing coverage of Sudan. The Sudan Tribune has more.