JUBA – South Sudan’s National Elections Commission (NEC) proceeded with the swearing-in of state high-committee members on Wednesday. This is in spite of ongoing disputes within the commission regarding their appointment.
Gabriel Gabriel Deng, NEC Deputy Chairperson, expressed concerns about the appointments of the state officials in a June 24 letter addressed to NEC Chairperson Prof. Abednego Akok. He claimed the announced names differed from those approved by the commission.
On June 17, Prof. Akok announced the formation of high committees in South Sudan’s 10 states, each comprising a chairperson, deputy chairperson, and three committee members. He indicated that appointments for the three administrative areas would follow progressively.
But the Deputy chair of the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), echoed these concerns. He criticized the NEC’s unilateral appointment of state high committee members and questioned the commission’s ability to conduct credible elections and warned that the commission was setting stage to rig elections.
“Setting stage to rig elections. Swearing in those members of SHC appointed by the Chairman of the National Elections Commission and not that appointed by the Commission through a competitive recruitment. South Sudan [is] truly in a trajectory of confusion and a free fall. We shall not accept this self-styled Commission and lawlessness!” Oyet, who is also the first deputy speaker of parliament wrote on Facebook today.
Speaking during the function conducted in Juba today, Akok instructed the newly appointed electoral officials to immediately begin voter and civic education to ensure citizens understand their voting rights.
“Right now, they will return to their states to implement the act, starting with civic education and followed by voter registration. This leads them to identify voter registration centers in their states. Your immediate task now is to identify from the movements until you reach the county level of all the voting centers. A very important duty which you will do. And then the civic education is now starting,” Akok said.
He also mentioned that the officials would receive training to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to manage the elections effectively.
The 50 members of the high committee in the 10 states including chairpersons, deputy chairpersons, and three committee members were appointed on 17 June 2024.
Meanwhile the chairperson of the Political Parties Council, James Akol Zakayo, urged the electoral officials to maintain neutrality and avoid political affiliations to ensure the elections are credible, free, and fair.
“There is a significant issue in this country where people do not differentiate between political affiliation and sympathy. If you are a sympathizer of any political party, from today, you must embrace neutrality to deliver credible, free, and fair results,” Zakayo emphasized.
The elections, initially scheduled for last year, were postponed to December 2024. However, preparations remain minimal, raising doubts about the feasibility of the December 22, 2024, elections — the first since South Sudan gained independence in July 2011.
The original transitional period from the 2018 peace deal ended on February 22, 2023, with the extended transition set to conclude on February 22, 2025.
In a related development, Chief Justice Chan Reech Madut announced that High Court judges have undergone training to handle election-related petitions. The training, conducted by the German organization Max Planck in collaboration with the judiciary, aims to prevent election disputes from causing a backlog in the courts.
“It is our responsibility, all of us. By the way, as the judiciary, we have also started training judges on election disputes. We have done this in collaboration with a German organization called Max Planck. All the judges, except 20, but we are going to train these other 20, so that they know, in all the sessions, they will be there. If there are any disputes relating to elections, they will be there,” he said.
The judiciary’s training program targets High Court judges, law clerks, magistrates, deputy registrars, and judicial staff to ensure preparedness for handling election-related cases.