South Sudan electoral body announces election date
July 7, 2024 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s long awaited elections will be held on December 22, the country’s National Election Commission (NEC) has announced.
The NEC chairperson, Prof. Abednegom Akok told reporters on Friday that the proposed date is in line with Section 16 (1) of the National Election Act, 2023.
“There is what they call an electoral calendar. In the electoral calendar, we should have started registration in June but because there was no agreement by the political parties, we could not make it. But right now, with the declaration of the Election Day, these will be the points raised or to work with them,” he stated.
The NEC chairperson said voter registration process should have kicked off in June as planned, but the various parties are yet to agree on the elections.
He, however, announced NEC will start voter registration with election date set.
“The public is made aware that from now on, elections will take place and we will embark on voter registration and all the electrical activities will take place until we reach December. And then from December, elections will take place immediately,” he remarked, saying enough preparations have so far been done.
“There has been constant training of the commissioners and we have gone to the states and on Saturday, commission members will arrive in Juba for training”, stressed Prof. Akok.
According to the chairperson, all activities of NEC are guided by the peace agreement, adding it is the mandate of the commission to announce the election date.
“For us at the commission, we are technical people who implement the agreement as it is. If we did not declare the Elections Date today, then there is a political loophole,” he said.
Last month, the NEC chairperson established electoral committees for South Sudan’s 10 states and named individuals to head these committees. He did not form committees for the Abyei, Greater Pibor and Ruweng administrative areas.
South Sudanese are eager to take part in the first post-independence election. The last election, held in March 2010, saw the incumbent President Salva Kiir win with over 90 percent.
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