The UN Special Representative of the Secretary General has expressed doubt in holding free, fair and credible elections in South Sudan in December 2024 given a work that is yet to be done in preparation.
Nicholas Haysom, in a press conference on Thursday in Juba, urged the leaders and the people of South Sudan to galvanize momentum towards the country’s first post-independence elections.
“Looking ahead, it would be impossible to envision free, fair, and credible elections in December 2024, unless all South Sudanese parties, leaders, and stakeholders grab the bull by the horns, and agree on a critical mass of decisions by the first quarter of 2024,” said Haysom.
The top UN official in the country rallies support for South Sudan election from the international community.
“I used this opportunity to call upon IGAD to convene a discussion on South Sudan and assist the Parties to resolve the outstanding contentious hurdles standing in the way of the implementation of the peace process and to enable all Member States to align their support accordingly,” he revealed.
Haysom said it is imperative for the parties to agree on a code of conduct around free, fair, and transparent competition and cautions against the temptation towards unilateral actions that undermine the trust that is needed amongst all stakeholders.
“Today, the honest assessment of many observers and stakeholders is that the current political and civic operating space does not offer a level playing field,” He stated.
In June this year, Haysom said the assessment his mission did indicated that most South Sudanese and stakeholders doubt government readiness to hold election next year.
Early this month, president Salva Kiir reconstituted the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC), National Elections Commission (NEC), and the Political Parties Council (PPC) and appointed officials into three key institutions that are critical for the conduct of elections.
Haysom welcomed the reconstitution of the institutions and highlighted that these bodies need to be given resource to start immediate operation and to urgently execute their mandates.
South Sudan is expected to hold its first ever general election on 22nd December 2024.
