SPLM-IO calls for revision of political party registration fees

JUBA – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in Opposition (SPLM-IO), South Sudan’s main armed opposition led by First Vice President Riek Machar, has urged the Political Party Council (PPC) to reassess the steep fees imposed for the registration of political parties.

The PPC recently established a registration fee of $50,000 for each political party to obtain a provisional license, followed by an additional $25,000 for full registration.

Addressing journalists at a press conference in Juba on Monday, SPLM-IO Secretary General Regina Joseph Kaba criticized the exorbitant fees, questioning whether the registration process was intended as a fundraising endeavor for the Political Party Council.

“This registration is aiming at what? It is a fundraising for the Political Party Council? Because this Political Party Council is mandated to regulate political parties but not to fundraise through putting a big fee on South Sudanese,” remarked Regina.

Regina called upon the PPC to reconsider its decision and revise the fees to a more reasonable level in line with its regulatory mandate.

“The Political Party Council put the registration in dollars, he doesn’t recognize the SSP. So the Political Party Council needs to revise its regulation and put the fee within the mandate of its regulations and not fundraising,” she emphasized.

Pal Mai Deng, the official spokesman for the SPLM-IO and minister of water resources and irrigation in the transitional government, echoed Regina’s sentiments, stressing that the recognition of political parties should not be contingent on financial status.

“You can’t be recognized as a political party because of the size of your pocket. If you have got a very big pocket with a lot of dollars in it, then you qualify to be a political party,” remarked Deng.

Deng condemned the exorbitant registration fees, asserting that such measures pose a threat to democracy, the rule of law, and human rights.

“This is a constraint on democracy, rule of law, and human rights, and this is also a constraint on plural democracy or multiparty system democracy. So, the registration of political parties should not be as expensive,” he said.

“$50,000 to be paid for registration of a political party is expensive and it has to be reduced to a minimum level that can be afforded by any political party,” Deng emphasized.

The call by the SPLM-IO comes less than a week after two opposition coalitions condemned the imposition of such fees, calling it an attack on democracy.

It also underscores the ongoing challenges faced by political parties in South Sudan and the imperative of ensuring a fair and inclusive political landscape as the world’s youngest country is planning to hold its first election since independence later this year.