At stake in this election:     

• The office of President of Sudan. 

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR
• Head of Government: President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR
• Assembly: The bicameral National Legislature is composed of the National Assembly and the newly-created Council of States.  Members of both legislatures serve six-year terms.^[1] 

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system.
• In the Council of States 50 members are elected by indirect vote to serve 6-year terms*. In the National Assembly 450 members are elected by popular vote to serve 6-year terms.** 

*Two members are elected by the legislature of each of 25 states.

** 60 percent of seats are elected by plurality vote in single-member districts. 15 percent of seats are elected under closed-list proportional representation. Multi-member constituencies correspond to states, and the threshold is 4 percent in each. Finally, 25 percent of seats are elected under closed-list proportional representation from lists that may contain only women. Again, the constituencies correspond to states, and the threshold is 4 percent in each.

Election Note:

• The legislative and presidential elections of 2015 will be the first elections held in Sudan since the referendum that led to the creation of South Sudan in 2011.  The last legislative and presidential elections in Sudan took place in 2010 before the divide. 

Main candidates in the presidential race*:

• Omar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR
• Party: National Congress Party
• Fatima Abdul MAHMUD
• Party: Sudanese Socialist Democratic Union

* There are approximately 15 total candidates running.[2] 

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 35,482,233 (July 2014 est.)^[3]
• Registered Voters: N/A

Gender Data:

• Female Population: 17,584,744 (2014 est.)^[4]
• Is Sudan a signatory to CEDAW: No
• Has Sudan ratified CEDAW: No[5]
• Gender Quota:  Yes, electoral law sets one for the lower house^[6]
• Female Candidates in this election: Yes
• Number of Female Legislators: 88 (25%) of the current 354 seats in the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (Majlis Watani)[7]
• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 166[8]
• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very High[9]

Disability Data:

• Is Sudan a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)
• Has Sudan ratified CRPD: Yes (24 April 2009)[10]