Bashir: Here, there and everywhere

Bashir: Here, there and everywhere

With only a few days to go before the Sudanese head to the polls, the capital Khartoum is festooned with pictures of Omar al-Bashir, the incumbent president.

Although this is a multi-party election, the absence of campaign posters of other candidates is quite evident.

Quite ironically however, one would not have suspected the country was on the verge of a historic election had it not been for Bashir's campaign images; there is an eerie calm in Sudan.

There have been no election marches or protests, no mass demonstrations of support or opposition and no heavy police presence since I arrived here late on Saturday.

It was as if Khartoum had settled into an unnatural apathy.

I decided to gauge the feelings of the people.

The first person I bumped into was Jihad, a 25-year-old taxi driver.

He said: "[Bashir] has been around for a long time and he's had enough time to take so much from the country. Now he will focus more on the country's needs. If we bring in a new person he'll take the country's resources and start the cycle all over again. Better the devil you know".

But Rawya, a 22-year-old university student, has taken herself out of the process altogether. "I haven't registered so I will not vote, but if I did vote I wouldn't vote for Bashir. He hasn't made any changes, so why would I vote for him?"

Doha Al-Fateh, another student, will not be voting either. In her mind Bashir is already the winner, despite her belief that he has done little to improve the country.

Bashir's simplicity?

There appeared to be a generation gap, particularly when it came to political hopes for the country. While young women like Rawya and Doha seemed disenfranchised, older Sudanese felt a near kinship with the president.

"Bashir is our father; of course we stand behind him all the way," said Saleh, a 38-year-old truck driver.

Durra Gambo, a Sudanese journalist, believes that Bashir's appeal to some people lies in his "simplicity when addressing his people".

"He personifies the simple Sudanese persona," Gambo said.

Regardless of who the people of Sudan will be voting for, one thing is clear … everyone has something to say about Omar Al-Bashir.