South Sudan lawmakers pass Political Parties Amendment Bill

JUBA — Members of South Sudan’s National Parliament on Tuesday afternoon passed the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill 2022 as provided for in the revitalized peace agreement!

The bill will guide political parties on how to conduct political affairs which ahead of the would-be 2023 elections.

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

John Agany Deng, Chairperson of the Information Committee said the bill aims to regulate the operation of political parties to ensure that they comply with the principles of democracy in order to establish healthy and robust party-based political processes.

“This political party’s act will give ground political pluralism, you know if we never have an act which guides the nation, it will be a dilemma that the nation will make a very small choice,” Agany told reporters after parliamentary sitting on Monday.

Agany said the bill has outlined the functions of political parties as well as changed the criteria for accessing the Political Parties Fund.

“If you have a law which is guiding you, definitely, your activities will be official, and more or less each and everyone will go for his or her choice,” Agany added.

Agany disclosed that the act has given political parties 10 months to prepare themselves before the 2023 polling.

“The duration of 10 months which has already been manifested in the bill, in fact, it was 6 months and then now it is raised to 10 months which mean that all of us to arrange our properties and put our houses in order.”

He said that the law has proposed that a political party should have 500 members.

“The majority of national legislative assembly has come to the conclusion that the official registration number will be 500 in each state and administrative area and that will qualify each and every party to be eligible for registration,” he said.

He said the bill seeks to allow candidates to run on either coalition party tickets or individual parties, among other provisions.