SSOA says extension of transitional period needs consensus among peace signatories

JUBA – The South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) has said that any extension of the transitional period should be agreed upon by the parties to the revitalized peace agreement, but said most provisions of the revitalized peace agreement have been implemented.

This comes after discussions in recent days of a possible extension of the transitional period by the party signatories to the deal, notably SPLM-IO, SPLM-IG and SSOA.

Speaking to Sudans Post this evening, SSOA spokesman and information secretary Stephen Lual Ngor, said the parties are committed to organizing elections, but then said there shouldn’t be problem in the extension as long as it is for the sake of implementing pending tasks.

“We are committed to this process provided that the elections will be conducted as agreed. But we cannot go beyond what positions of the parties and the causes that may impede conduct of elections on the agreed date,” he said.

“Therefore, I find no reason for concerns if the signatories to the agreement agreed to extend the election period in order to give space to all political parties and to complete the rest of the transitional period’s procedures, so there is nothing to prevent it,” he added.

Lual who is also the spokesman South Sudan Patriotic Movement further urged the parties not to use the media to air out their grievances to the public “because there are platforms to discuss all the issues because media can cause problems between the signatory parties to the agreement.”

Commenting on the withdrawal of the SPLM-IO parliamentary causes from sessions, Lual said “the withdrawal will not affect the work of Parliament, but there is a real problem regarding some of the heads of the committees that withdrew, and this disrupts the work of the committees.”

“I have no knowledge about the reason of withdrawal of the SPLM-IO members from parliament, in whole or in part, but we know that they boycotted the sessions. Their exit from the work of the committees really needs an explanation.”