South Sudan launches registration drive for unregistered political groups

JUBA – South Sudan Political Party Council (PPC) on Tuesday announced the commencement of registration of unregistered political parties in the country.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference in Juba, James Akol Zakayo, Chairperson of Political Party Council said the registration will prepare the political parties for the forthcoming December 2024 elections.

“The function of today it is to announce the registration of political parties that have not been registered,” Zakayo told reporters at Tuesday’s press briefing held at the UNDP compound.

An order released on Tuesday said that “under the provision of article 197 (A) of the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011 (as amended), read together with section 8 (6) & (7), 11 (e), 12 (4), 13 of the Political Parties Act 2012 (amended) and regulation 49 of the Political Parties Regulations, 2015 (amended) regulation 2024, and cognizant of the due elections in December 2024.”

Zakayo said the beginning of provisional and full registration of unregistered political parties will come into force on 23rd January 2024.

He said they will only register political parties that will meet the requirement of two-thirds members from ten states and three administrative areas.

“Each party that inspires to register must draw its members from two-thirds of ten states and three administrative areas. So, we need to make sure that your members are not from one state, you need to have representations in all ten states and your party must reflect the citizens of South Sudan,” he said.

On May 31, 2022, the National Transitional Legislative Assembly (TNLA) passed the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill 2022 into law opening political space for parties to operate in the country.

The act provides a framework to regulate and strengthen the management of political parties to enhance democracy.

The NCAC reduced the number of party members to register a political party from 500 to 300 in each state and administrative area but the national parliament amended the law to return to the 2012 law which requires 500 members to register a political party.