Sudan's NCP Wins Border State Poll

A rebellion is spreading in South Sudan in the aftermath of a referendum held in Jan. 2011. The outcome of the vote could lead to the break-up of Africa's largest geographic nation-state. The independence of the south is slated for July 2011., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Sudan's NCP wins border state poll

2011-05-15 20:06

Khartoum - Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has won the election for the governorship of the oil-producing border state of South Kordofan, the country's election commission said on Sunday.

The commission announced the victory of incumbent governor Ahmed Harun over the province's deputy governor, Abdelaziz al-Hilu, who dropped out of the race on Friday, claiming the poll was rigged.

Harun is an NCP protege wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in Darfur.

Hilu is the number two in the northern branch of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, the ruling party in south Sudan, which in July will achieve independence from Khartoum to become the world's newest state.

Hilu, a main rival of Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir's NCP, on Friday withdrew from the race for the governorship of sensitive South Kordofan, which borders semi-autonomous south Sudan, denouncing the elections as rigged.

"We believe that the deputy head of the National Election Committee, the election committee in the state and the National Congress Party are all partners in rigging these elections," Hilu told AFP by phone.

"So we have decided to reject any election results and we will not participate in any authority that is appointed by these elections," he added.

The former civil war adversaries clashed at the polls, which took place from May 1 to May 4, in which voters had to choose their governor and an assembly for the north Sudanese state.

Results had been due on May 8 but were postponed.

Analysts had warned of explosive consequences of a failed election in one of Sudan's most militarised regions, which was a key battlefield during the 22-year north-south civil war and is still the scene of intermittent violence.

- SAPA