Who was favored to win the scheduled 1956 national elections to unify Vietnam?

In the scheduled 1956 national elections to unify Vietnam, the communist leader Ho Chi Minh was favored to win. The elections were part of the Geneva Accords, which called for nationwide elections to reunify North and South Vietnam. However, the elections were never held, largely due to the South Vietnamese government, backed by the United States, fearing a communist victory. As a result, the division between North and South Vietnam deepened, leading to further conflict.