CEPO urges NEC to conduct consultation with displaced persons on election process

JUBA – The Community Empowerment Progress Organization (CEPO), has urged the National Election Commission (NEC) to hold separate consultations with internally displaced persons (IDPs) residing in camps throughout the country.

In a statement signed by its Executive Director Edmund Yakani, the civil society watchdog stressed the “significant” need for urgent dialogue to address concerns raised during NEC’s state-level consultations.

“The remaining time for preparation for the conduct of the elections for December 2024 was an issue of great consideration… Matters of unrestricted civic and political space were also raised, including the matters of unification of the forces and constitutional making process,” it said.

“Here, really, the political leaders of the parties are required to hold an inclusive political dialogue for reaching national consensus on the holding of the elections as required by the provisions of R-ARCSS urgently,” it added.

The civil society organization further called on the NEC to gold separate consultations with IDPs in order to clear a clear image of the public’s view on the election slated for later this year.

CEPO expressed approval of NEC’s inclusive approach in consultations within Central Equatoria, Lakes, Upper Nile, and Jonglei states.

Yakani praised what it termed as “a meaningful engagement of civil society, organizations of persons with disabilities, youth, and women.”

He emphasized the importance of broad stakeholder inclusion in elections as a national civic engagement.

“CEPO will continue domestic observations of the rest of the NEC states and administrative areas consultations and release reports. There will be an overall domestic observation report on the states and administrative areas consultations,” Yakani confirmed.