Opposition Leader, Dr. Lam Akol Ajawein, who is also the chairperson of the National Democratic Movement [NDM], said the election is a requirement and must take place as scheduled.
Lam Akol stated this shortly after meeting the Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba in Juba on Tuesday. The two discussed ways to speed up the implementation of the remaining chapters of the peace agreement and the election preparedness.
He disclosed that there was an ongoing debate among the political leaders on whether the election should take place as scheduled or should be pushed to later months or years.
He, however, did not disclose what the political leaders have agreed upon.
“So, we discussed how the implementation process of the peace agreement is going on and how it can be sped up, and of course, central in this discussion is the issue of election. There are a lot of debates these days on whether the election should take place in December 2024 or whether it should not take place and so on,” Lam said.
“The first point to stress is that the election is not an isolated item; it is part of the requirement of the peace agreement. It is the endpoint of the peace agreement. It is the exit point of the peace agreement,” he stressed.
On his part, the Spokesperson of the Parliament, John Agany Deng, also confirmed that the meeting between Dr. Lam Akol and Rt. Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba centered on whether the elections should take place as scheduled or should be paused until all the chapters of the peace deal are implemented fully.
“He [Lam Akol] has briefed Hon. Speaker on his ambitions, especially in the remaining period, whether the country should go for elections, or we review the remaining items that we are supposed to implement as part of the peace agreement,” Agany disclosed.
As for the UNMISS Chief Nicholas Haysom, 90 percent of the people of South Sudan want the election to take place as scheduled to move the country out from transitional status, but a lot still has to be done, notably, the permanent constitution, electoral laws, demarcation of the constituency, establishment of the number of voters across the country, and constituting a politically neutral police and army to maintain law and order during the electoral processes.
Nicholas said progress on the political front is also being made, including the swearing-in of the National Elections Commission, the National Constitutional Review Commission, and the Political Parties Council as you are all aware.
He added that registration of political parties has begun, although it’s disconcerting to see how high the costs are associated with this process.
But he noted the need to ensure a level political playing field where there is healthy competition and choices for all voters. It is also important that senior public servants refrain from associating themselves with political parties in order to protect the neutrality of their important institutions.
“UNMISS is supporting these institutions by helping to create workplans and budgets, developing a Political Parties Code of Conduct, and preparing for the reconstitution of State Elections Committees. We acknowledge the significant recent decision of the Cabinet to allocate resources to these bodies but also eagerly await the actual disbursement of the money as concrete evidence of the parties’ political will to progress this work,” he said.
Nicholas welcomed the Presidency’s recent engagement with key civil society actors on election preparations. “This helps ensure inclusivity, strengthens the understanding of diverse views on the direction the country should take, and supports constructive compromises on critical provisions of the peace agreement,” he noted.
“It is easy to list problems. It’s harder to find solutions and take action to implement the decisions made. UNMISS is dedicating significant time and resources to encouraging the parties to make good on their promises relating to election preparations, and with good reason. If the elections are not held with close observance of the peace agreement, it will come under attack for not being adhered to. And if that agreement, the peace agreement itself ultimately fails, it will undermine peace and stability, and risk a return to widespread violence,” he warned.
Parties to the peace deal have been delaying the country’s first elections since independence by extending the transitional period by two years denying the citizens the right to choose their leaders through free, fair, and credible elections. The first election was supposed to take place in 2015, but it got delayed to 2018 and now talks are going on to delay further.
