SPLM party accuses opposition of using delaying tactics to postpone elections

JUBA – South Sudan’s ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, has accused opposition groups of employing tactics to delay the elections slated for December this year.

Speaking during the commemoration of SPLA Day at the Crown Hotel in Juba on Thursday, SPLM Secretary General Peter Lam Both accused the opposition groups of trying to delay elections because they feared losing.

“It has now appeared that some of the parties in the peace agreement are not interested in the elections. They are calling for an extension of one year, or two years, or three years to buy time because they don’t see themselves in the upcoming elections as winning any seats,” Lam said.

South Sudan is aiming for an election in December this year. If conducted, the process provided for under the 2018 revitalized peace agreement will be the first of its kind in the world’s youngest country since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011.

Despite SPLM’s insistence on holding elections in December, opposition groups such as the main armed opposition SPLM-IO have said that the country is not ready for elections, citing unmet commitments provided for under the peace agreement.

First Vice President Riek Machar, who is also the leader of the main armed opposition group, proposed a two-year transitional period in which the parties would complete the unification of forces, resettlement of refugees, and drafting of a permanent constitution.

Other opposition groups, such as the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), have also expressed interest in the timely conduct of elections but want pending tasks to be implemented before the country goes to the polls.

Lam stressed the importance of elections, saying South Sudan must end the numerous transitional governments by holding elections as scheduled. He added that they are in talks with other opposition parties to reach a consensus on the election.

“We have to make sure that we have an elected government in place before the end of the interim period. We are still engaging with the rest of the political parties to come to a solution,” he said.

“But there is nothing that defeats the fact that the roadmap is ending. And we don’t want the government of South Sudan to fall on our heads,” he added.

Lam reiterated the party’s commitment to holding a democratic election by upholding its principles and ensuring that the will of the people is respected through a fair and transparent process.

South Sudan is unlikely to hold elections in December 2024, around seven months from now. The country has not yet conducted a population census and does not have a permanent constitution.

Last month, a senior member of the main armed opposition SPLA-IO told Sudan’s Post that Kiir and Machar have agreed, in principle, to extend the transitional period because important tasks have not yet been implemented.

The government has also launched a peace process with non-signatories of the revitalized peace agreement in Kenya. These groups, if a peace deal is reached with the government, will not accept any election being conducted at the end of this year.

Civic space has also been restricted in South Sudan, with the ruling party being the only political party able to carry out political rallies. Other opposition groups, including the SPLM-IO, whose leader is restricted to his house and office in Juba, are unable to campaign.