CEPO launches system to track potential electoral violence ahead of 2024 polls

JUBA, AUGUST 9, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) has launched an electoral violence early warning system to monitor South Sudan’s first-ever elections slated for 2024.

In a statement, CEPO said that the platform was established after the civil society watchdog, a signatory to the revitalized peace agreement, recorded hate speech being uttered by political leaders it did not name during what CEPO said are “premature elections campaigns”.

“CEPO Domestic Elections Watch recently during the premature elections campaigns by some political parties across the country realized that some political leaders have already started using wrong language loaded with phrases of hate speech, hostile propaganda, insults and negative stereotypes that may trigger electoral-related violence,” CEPO said.

“Based on this observation, CEPO Domestic Election Watch established a platform called ‘Elections Potential Violence Triggers Warning-EPVTEW’. This is a platform created for raising public alerts for possible elections-related violence,” the statement said.

The civil society watchdog’s Executive Director Edmund Yakani said the platform will aim at tracking speeches of political leaders.

“EPVTEW will be using methodology of tracking public statement of political leaders, election aspirant and supporters of political leaders and elections aspirants including other actors’ statements through public events or media publications,” he said.

“Additionally, EPVTEW will be tracking the use of political parties’ colors for undermining the purpose of public events that some political parties like to turn to use public events for marketing their political party (Abuse of public event by some political parties.

“This constitutes political indiscipline, and this is in conflict with standards of elections campaign because it can trigger election violence). EPVTEW is already effectively tracking and documenting the on-going premature political parties’ rallies and campaigns associated with the forthcoming elections,” he added.

Yakani further stressed that “It is time for every South Sudanese at any capacity to serious adhere to the practices of non-violent or peaceful elections campaigns or/and rallies. The political indiscipline behaviors of some political parties that usual like to trigger electoral violence as a strategy of gaining elections win should not embrace by anyone in South Sudan.”

“The political sensitive our country in now requires from each of us to observe maximum respect for practical of nonviolent and peaceful elections engagements. This includes full commitment for respect of freedom of association, assembly, expression of various actors that have role in the elections processes,” he said.