SUDAN’s ruling party said on Tuesday it has decided to hold simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections before March 2001, but did not set a specific date. During a Monday night meeting, the National Congress party leadership also endorsed President Omar al-Beshir as the party’s candidate in the presidential election. Under the constitution, members of parliament serve four-year terms and their mandate would have expired in March 2000, raising expectations for new elections. When Beshir dissolved parliament on December 12, he also declared a three-month state of emergency that was renewed in March until the end of the year.