In a surprise move, the NCP said it would not field a candidate against Mr. Kiir, Reuters reported.
NCP presidential adviser Ali Tamim Fartak said that the decision not to field a candidate for president of the south was to maintain a good partnership with the SPLM.
The NCP hopes the SPLM will reciprocate and withdraw its contender against President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in the separate vote for president of all of Sudan.
The SPLM has nominated northern secular Muslim Yasir Arman to stand against Mr. al-Bashir in the race for the presidency of the Sudan.