Khartoum — The Sudanese President, Omer Hassan Al-Bashir appeared to tone down his position on delaying the elections, saying that if that was to happen, no broad based government would be formed as opposition parties have demanded.

Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) said that Bashir in an address to retired army and police figures blasted the opposition saying they had failed to garner any public support during the elections campaign implying that this is why they are requesting a postponement.

"When the party leaders felt they do not have acceptance [among the people] they started demanding the postponement of the elections and challenging the impartiality of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), although they took part in its selection and agreed to its membership," Al-Bashir said.

He stressed that if elections are moved up then the current government formation will remain until after elections take place.

The Sudanese president gave a stern warning to foreign election monitors threatening to expel them if they call for a delay of the polls scheduled for April 11th.

The warning appears directed at the US based Carter Center which last week called for a slight delay in elections because of logistical and procedural issues.

The NEC deputy chairman Ahmed Abdullah insisted the elections would take place on April 11, as planned.

But Bashir had tougher words to the US based elections watchdog. "We brought these organizations from outside to monitor the elections, but if they ask for them to be delayed, we will throw them out... any foreigner or organization that demand the delay of elections will be expelled sooner rather than later, " he said.

"We wanted them to see the free and fair elections, but if they interfere in our affairs, we will cut their fingers off, put them under our shoes, and throw them out," he added.

Last week 17 opposition parties pushed a memo to the presidency requesting that April elections be postponed until next November in order to allow for major reforms in a number of laws primarily relating national security and media. They gave the government until next week Thursday April 1 to respond positively or else face the possibility of boycotting the elections.

Meanwhile the SPLM revealed that Salva Kiir, the President of Southern Sudan has rejected a request by Taha and NEC chairman Abel Alier to have the Northern army transport voting slips to the south.

The United Nations (UN) was due to transport the ballots by helicopter around the war-ravaged south but Bashir's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has delayed the pilots' visas, a U.N. source and opposition party officials told Reuters.

"They are sabotaging the coming of the U.N. pilots. They want to control the whole election process," said Yasir Arman, the SPLM candidate for the national presidency.

A U.N. source, who declined to be named, said the visa problem was eventually resolved but that the U.N. was aware of the NEC request to allow the northern army to transport the ballots. "It didn't make any sense and we made that clear in our discussions," the source added.

"There was a contingency plan that if we could not find someone to move to the south then we may have asked the military to help by availing helicopters," deputy NEC head, told Reuters. "This is now not needed".

The development adds to opposition skepticism on the impartiality of the elections commission.