Sudan’s NCP insists Bashir’s win will not require a second round
February 12, 2010 (KHARTOUM) –The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) repeated its assertions that its party leader president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir will comfortably win the elections despite several reports indicating otherwise.
Bashir who ruled the country for over two decades and faces an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) will be running against eleven other candidates from different parties including the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) which controls the south of the country.
The NCP nudged the SPLM to withdraw its candidate last month by saying it will not nominate any of its members to run against South Sudan president Salva Kiir. However, the ex-Southern rebel group rejected the offer saying that its candidate Yasir Arman will still stand against Bashir.
Yesterday, the former US president Jimmy Carter told reporters that it is unlikely that Bashir will win a majority in the first round of the elections scheduled for April which will mean that a second round will be needed between the first and second runners.
The NCP deputy chief in Khartoum Mohamed Mandoor Al-Mahdi said in a press conference that Bashir will inaugurate his campaign on Saturday evening in Al-Hilal stadium. He also expressed regret that the SPLM did not respond to its gesture and coordinate with the NCP in the elections or respond positively to its gesture.
On the eve of the start of electoral campaign, Sudan’s election board called on political parties to avoid racism or call for violence, stressing keenness for equal air time for all candidates competing for political offices.
The National Election Commission formed a joint body including representatives of national radio and television stations which must provide an equivalent opportunity to political candidates.
Al-Mahdi said that there are no indications that the SPLM would reverse its decision and criticized the party for joining hands with Northern opposition parties in a bid to oust Bashir through nominating multiple candidates.
The NCP official also dismissed the online polls conducted on the choice for president saying that are “controlled” by opposition figures as part of a psychological warfare saying that the Bashir’s tours among the people shows his popularity and reinforces the belief that there will be no second round.
The Sudan Tribune online poll conducted over the last week showed that 7.5% of the 21,642 readers that took part favored Bashir with 46.6% of the votes going to Umma Party leader Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi and 39% to Yasir Arman from the SPLM.
A separate poll made by the Arabic language Sudanile online portal showed 52.9% of the 16,794 votes going to Bashir, 19.3% to Al-Mahdi and 16.8% to Arman.
(ST)