In an interview with Eye Radio on April 4, the Chairperson of the Political Parties Council (PPC), James Akol Zakayo was quoted saying electoral institutions, including his entity, have been availed sufficient resources necessary for elections.
“This is an official statement from me that we have been given necessary resources that are meant for the elections,” Akol told Eye Radio.
In a statement, however, the SPLM-10 leadership expressed concerns that the most critical elections related institutions have not received money, citing bodies like the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Ministry of Interior (meant for security during elections), the National Transitional Committee (NTC) as well as the security mechanisms.
According to the main opposition faction, the Council of Ministers in its regular meeting on February 9, 2024, passed a supplementary budget for the six critical elections related institutions, with the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC) allocated USD 23.7 million out of USD 43 million requested while USD 16.3 million out of USD 60 million that was requested for was earmarked for the PPC.
Other institutions were NEC, which was allocated USD 27. 2 million out of USD 230.5
million requested, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) was allocated USD 12.1 million out of USD 107 million requested; National Transitional Committee (NTC)-USD 9.4 million out of USD 130 million requested while elections security by Ministry of Interior was allocated USD 13.6 million out of USD 105 million it requested for.
The SPLM-IO said only the PPC was allocated USD 5 million out of the targeted supplementary budget of USD 16 million while the NEC was only given USD 15 million out of the overall targeted supplementary budget of USD 27 million.
“We would like to state that this is a deliberate plan to undermine the most critical institutions of the Agreement leading to the conduct of elections. This further demonstrates the lack of political will for the implementation of the R-ARCSS in letter and spirit,” party reads the armed opposition’s statement.
The SPLM said the passed supplementary budget did not go through parliament, in an apparent plan to evade the country’s national assembly.
The SPLM-10 Leadership called upon the Minister of Finance and Planning to urgently present the targeted supplementary budget to parliament for approval.
If no budget No elections right? SPLM-IO must know that people of s.sudan are tired of bulky gov’t full of immeasurable expenses. please we need this government squeezed before 2025
Institutions are not supposed to be funded at the backdoor if we do so, and then there will be no accountability for the institutions. It’s illegal and has to be brought to the public’s attention
the SPLM-IO is only hope to citizens of south Sudan