The highest political arm of Sudan People's LiberationMovement (SPLM), the politburo has chosen the chairman of the group, SalvaKiir, to be its presidential candidate ahead of Sudan's general elections nextyear. The group says that there was need to resolve the ongoing crisis in Darfurbefore the next elections to enable places like the remote western region toparticipate in the vote. Salva Kiir iscurrently Sudan's vice president after a 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement(CPA) ended more than two decades of civil war between the north and the southin which scores of lives were lost.
Someof his critics accuse him of not spending enough time in the capital Khartoum,which they claim, could undermine Kiir's presidential ambitions. Yasser Armanis the deputy general secretary of the SPLM. From Khartoum he tells reporterPeter Clottey that Kiir is a tried and tested leader who would take Sudan tonew heights as president.
"Wejust finished a meeting of the political bureau, the highest organ of the SudanPeople's Liberation Movement, and we decided to contest at all levels includingthe presidency. And for sure Salva Kiir, the chairperson of the SPLM is goingto contest the elections next year," Arman pointed out.
Hesaid Vice President Kiir stands a great prospect of winning next year's generalelections.
"Hehas a very high chance emanating from the fact that the SPLM is very popular,we have a vision. And that if you are talking about the unity of Sudan and theentire unity on an even basis then it is Salva Kiir who is coming from SouthernSudan to be the president of Sudan so as to keep the unity of the country. I'msure the voters would have a lot of incentives to vote for Salva Kiir becauseof the SPLM or the policies of the SPLM, the alternative that the SPLM isproviding, and that is why the SPLM is very popular. And that if you want tokeep the unity of Sudan, then you have to vote for the man who has the visionand coming from South Sudan, which is going to go for a referendum," he said.
Armansaid the chairman of the SPLM knows about the challenges facing the people ofSudan and is the best to address those challenges when he is elected aspresident next year.
"Well,the challenges are clear and are evident in Sudan and because of thosechallenges we need a leader who has the vision who is tested. And you need anew vision that can keep Sudan together because the old vision could not keepSudan together. Sudan has been at war with itself for seven years and there isa war now in Darfur, and Salva Kiir can play an instrumental role to put a justend to the war in Darfur. And this actually is our concern right now is to fixthings correctly and fairly in Darfur and to go to the national electionstogether with Darfur," Arman noted.
Hesaid Kiir is a well-tested leader who can reconcile the whole country and bringabout peace and stability.
"Definitely,you know the SPLM vision of the new Sudan, is a vision that calls to allSudanese regardless of being Southern Sudanese or Northern Sudanese, Christianor Moslem, Arabs or African, you have to be in the first place a Sudanese. Thisis the SPLM vision of the new Sudan and it is a vision of tolerance and ofbringing peoples together. Salva Kiir is being armed with this vision and theSPLM has struggled for the last 25 years to bring Sudan together. He (Kiir) isthe right person to bring Sudan together, and he is coming from South Sudan,and this would make a historical reconciliation between the south and thenorth," he pointed out.
Meanwhile,Armansaid the SPLM had drawn up a plan to end the Darfur crisis and deal with awarrant being sough by the International Criminal Court against the country'spresident, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, but would make no details public until it hadmet Bashir's National Congress Party (NCP).