South Sudan civil society leader warns against premature elections

BOR, JULY 8, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – A civil society leader in South Sudan has warned against holding elections without key pre-requisites being met, saying politicians in the world’s youngest country need to focus on implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.

Bol Deng Bol, the chairperson of Jonglei Civil Society Network and Executive Director of INTREPID South Sudan, said politicians are trying to change the focus away from the necessary preparations for free and fair elections.

“We all know that a number of significant prerequisites to holding meaningful elections are yet to be done,” Bol said in a tweet.

“But politicians have decided to change the focus instead. Civil society actors shouldn’t fall into this trap as it would have elections held on a feeble foundation,” he added.

Other activists have previously warned of premature elections, citing lack of a voter registration process, the absence of a credible national census, and the ongoing conflict in the country as some of the key challenges that need to be addressed before elections can be held.

Bol has previously called on the government to ensure that the electoral commission is independent and impartial.

“The government must not be allowed to control the electoral process,” Bol said in January. “The people of South Sudan deserve to have a say in who their leaders are, and they can only do that if the elections are free and fair.”

South Sudan is set for its first elections in December 2024.

The election is provided for in a 2018 peace deal known as “the revitalized peace agreement” which was signed by between President Kiir’s government and numerous opposition parties led by the SPLM-IO under Kiir’s currently first deputy Riek Machar.

The 2018 peace agreement’s implementation has been lagging behind more than four years since its signing, sparking concerns from the civil society organizations as well as some signatories of the parties to the deal.