The primary duty of the central government toward the states is to serve as the head that guides the body. It bears the responsibility of assisting the states in qualifying for the full practice of self-governance by all possible swift means. It must also be prepared to relinquish to each state the powers of self-governance in proportion to its readiness to assume them.
The central government’s constant approach should be to confront people with their own problems, give them the opportunity to experiment and learn from experience, and provide assistance when needed, so that their capacity to exercise their full authority grows stronger.
The central government must unite the states in a strengthening federal union, driven by the voluntary contributions of each state. It should intervene in the internal affairs of states only when absolutely necessary and to the minimum extent required, allowing citizens to accomplish their needs independently. The central government's assistance, when necessary, will focus on technical and administrative expertise as well as financial support. Additionally, it bears the responsibility of aiding states in maintaining security, establishing order, and delivering justice, thereby creating the free environment envisioned by the central constitution.
The central government also has a specific duty to assist the states in maintaining security, ensuring stability, and upholding justice, so that the free environment intended by the central constitution can be achieved for individuals. Furthermore, it is responsible for protecting the states from conflicts among themselves and for national defense through the Sudanese army, which answers solely to it. The army’s camps will be strategically located throughout the country, and its soldiers will be drawn from all citizens. National defense is a shared responsibility of the legislative and executive branches of the central government. Parliament alone declares war and allocates funding for the army, while the President of the Republic serves as the Commander-in-Chief.
The central parliament is responsible for promoting the general welfare of the entire country to ensure that the development of the states is consistent, proportional, and continuous. The central government is tasked with issuing and safeguarding the national currency, establishing foreign relations—whether commercial, political, or financial—and managing all powers granted to it by the central constitution.
The central constitution will specify that the central government holds all powers not explicitly assigned to individual state constitutions. However, these central powers will gradually diminish as the states develop and their governments assume more of the self-governance powers that are temporarily entrusted to the central government. This process will continue until the day the central constitution specifies the extent of the central government's powers in explicit terms, leaving all other powers to the states.
The powers granted to the central government by the constitution are exercised by officials who are elected by the people and entrusted with carrying out their duties on behalf of the public. The people retain the right to remove any official, regardless of their position, through recall or impeachment if it is proven that they are unfit for office, have abused their position, or have committed any offense that impairs their ability to fulfill their role. The constitution will outline the mechanisms through which this right can be exercised.
While the central constitution defines the scope of the central government’s powers, it also enshrines guarantees of fundamental personal rights and inalienable human privileges, ensuring that these rights cannot be revoked. Foremost among these is the individual’s right to pursue absolute personal freedom, supported by ancillary rights essential to achieving it, including freedom of worship, freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and freedom of work. This individual’s right is subject only to the limits set by the constitution, which harmonizes the individual’s needs with those of the community, sacrificing neither for the other.
Such rights also include the freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, the right to petition through protests, and the right to criticize all government actions, provided that these activities are conducted in full transparency and public visibility, as previously stipulated. Individuals also have the right to be liberated from fear, poverty, ignorance, and disease. Every person has the right to be regarded as an end in themselves, not as a means to another’s end. These rights are subject to no force other than the law.
The central government consists of three fundamental branches, whose relationships with one another, along with their specific duties and responsibilities, are outlined by the constitution. These essential branches are the legislative authority, which enacts and approves laws; the executive authority, which manages the government's affairs according to the laws; and the judicial authority, which applies the laws and resolves disputes. These branches are separate from each other, with each representing the people in a specific domain. In their independence, they safeguard against the tyranny of one branch over the others, yet they cooperate and support one another to fulfill a unified duty: achieving the sovereignty of the people through the sovereignty of the law.