KHARTOUM (Reuters) – President Omar Hassan al-Bashir won the first open election in 24 years in Sudan, a result that confirms the position the leader wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
Abel Alier The election official told a news conference that Bashir did 68 percent of the votes of the presidential election, while Salva Kiir, president of the semi-autonomous southern region, won reelection with 92.99 percent of votes in the contest.
After a vote that international observers said fell short of global standards, is expected to form a coalition with Bashir Kiir while country is heading for a plebiscite in 2011 which could lead to a separation of southern Sudan and become a new state.
Bashir hoped a victory in legitimate elections could help to challenge request of the International Criminal Court, which is accused of ordering a campaign of murder, torture and rape in the Darfur region of Sudan.
But the vote was marred by accusations of fraud, including claims of the People”s Liberation Movement of Sudan, Kiir, suggesting that a new coalition could be very fragile.
Bashir appeared on state television shortly after the result known saying that the Sudanese people “moral victory achieved in the eyes of the world in a civilized manner and class.”
The president added that the referendum will be held in the south “as planned” .
Kiir said he was “totally dismayed” over reports of irregularities in the election and promised to investigate complaints.
“No amount of intimidation or provocation will lead us back to war. We will maintain security and prepare our people for the referendum of 2011, “Kiir told reporters in the southern capital Juba, ond48his way to congratulate Bashir.
Bashir”s victory was dismissed by the opposition parties, which boycotted the poll alleging fraud.
The current coalition government of Bashir and Kiir has gone through a tough stage in the last five years since the signing of a peace agreement in 2005 that ended more than two decades of civil war between northern and southern Sudan.
Human Rights Organization Watch said the victory did not give additional legal immunity against the charges of the court.
(Additional reporting by Andrew Heavens, published in Spanish by Gabriela Donoso /Patricia Avila)