Ukraine in Arabic | Sudan’s Bashir chosen by ruling party as candidate for 2015 polls
KYIV/Ukraine in Arabic/ Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir - in power since a 1989 coup - will stand for re-election in April 2015 after being retained as the leader of the ruling party, an adviser has said.
Bashir, who is the only sitting head of state wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes, was re-elected as both leader and presidential candidate of the National Congress Party (NCP) at a party convention, his chief assistant Ibrahim Ghandour said on Tuesday.
Critics say Mr. Bashir, 70, leads one of Africa's most repressive regimes.
He seized power in a coup in 1989, and has won three elections since then.
In 2011, NCP official Rabie Abdelati said he could "confirm, 100%" that Mr. Bashir would not contest the 2015 election.
Opposition parties and analysts cast doubts on the statement at the time, saying it was probably aimed at diffusing an uprising similar to that seen against other long-serving Arab rulers in Africa.
Mr. Ghandour, the NCP's vice-president, said Mr. Bashir won the party's nomination with "266 out of 522" votes at a meeting of its national convention, the AFP news agency reports.
The African Union (AU) has backed Mr. Bashir in his rejection of The Hague-based court's indictment.
It argues that as a serving head of state, he enjoys presidential immunity.
Sudan does not recognize the court.
