{"id":55826,"date":"2024-04-02T16:11:07","date_gmt":"2024-04-02T16:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date"},"modified":"2024-04-02T17:23:07","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T17:23:07","slug":"will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date","title":{"rendered":"Will troubled South Sudan make December election date?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. <\/strong><\/span>The clock is ticking but every day doubt is growing. For South Sudan\u2019s international partners, civil society and observers, April is the last chance to ensure that the first elections in the young nation\u2019s history take place, as planned, in December.<\/p>\n

South Sudan has had a long wait to elect its leaders and lawmakers ever since its hard-won independence from Sudan in 2011.<\/p>\n

Despite oil riches, the world\u2019s youngest country remains paralysed by chronic violence, political instability, poverty and natural disasters.<\/p>\n

After a devastating 2013-2018 civil war between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, a peace agreement led to an uneasy unity government, with Machar serving as vice president.<\/p>\n

The deal laid out a \u201ctransition\u201d period to pave the way for general elections.<\/p>\n

But to the exasperation of the international community, persistent disputes have left key provisions of the deal unfulfilled and transition timelines repeatedly delayed.<\/p>\n

\u2013 What\u2019s the situation now? \u2013<\/p>\n

The latest \u201croadmap\u201d calls for polls in December 2024.<\/p>\n

But Nicholas Haysom, UN mission chief in South Sudan, warned in December 2023: \u201cAs things stand, the country is not yet in a position to organise credible elections.\u201d<\/p>\n

He told the UN Security Council a \u201ccritical mass\u201d of prerequisites had to be in place by April to enable free and fair elections.<\/p>\n

Three months on, there is no sign of major progress.<\/p>\n

The unification of rival pro-Kiir and pro-Machar forces, a crucial element for the smooth running of a vote, is incomplete.<\/p>\n

About 55,000 men have undergone training in an initial phase, but only 4,000 are deployed, Charles Tai Gituai, head of the RJMEC, the body supervising implementation of the peace deal, said in February.<\/p>\n

The absence of a national army is particularly concerning in a country riven by intercommunal violence, which cost 406 lives in the last quarter of 2023, according to the UN.<\/p>\n

To prepare for polls, South Sudan has created two institutions, the Council of Political Parties and the National Electoral Commission.<\/p>\n

But they are not yet fully operational due to a lack of funding and remain a source of controversy.<\/p>\n

The election commission\u2019s composition has been criticised as too partisan and opposition parties have lashed out at an \u201cexorbitant\u201d $50,000 registration fee.<\/p>\n

And the vital process of drafting a constitution is 18 months behind schedule.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Elections still possible? \u2013<\/p>\n

For months, the UN, African Union and the \u201ctroika\u201d of Britain, Norway and the United States which sponsored independence, have been pressing Kiir and Machar to work together on the elections.<\/p>\n

Kiir has reiterated his desire to meet the deadlines.<\/p>\n

But Machar has threatened to boycott any vote if key provisions of the 2018 agreement are not implemented, particularly the drafting of a constitution which he says could take 24 months.<\/p>\n

\u201cSalva Kiir 100 percent is interested in the elections… because he is tired of being tied down by the peace agreement,\u201d said Boboya James Edimond, executive director of the Juba-based Institute for Social Policy and Research.<\/p>\n

\u201cRiek Machar is afraid of losing power… his interest is to make sure that all the provisions of the peace agreement must be implemented to spirit and letter so that it puts some time for him to be in power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organising nationwide elections in eight months is a complicated task in a country plagued by insecurity and with limited infrastructure.<\/p>\n

South Sudan has also been hit by a drop in vital oil revenues because of a damaged pipeline in war-torn Sudan which could, say analysts, further delay the vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we were to rush elections, there\u2019s a high chance the country will fall back into violence,\u201d warned Edmund Yakani, head of civil society group the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO).<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a need to have a consensus for not rushing elections but also not delaying it too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 \u2018Abridged election\u2019 or another delay? \u2013<\/p>\n

In a March 15 letter seen by AFP, the RJMEC called on the protagonists to study two \u201cviable options\u201d: conducting an \u201cabridged election\u201d or again revising transition timelines.<\/p>\n

Kiir\u2019s side has proposed polls in December for the presidency and governors of South Sudan\u2019s 10 states, with legislative polls a year later.<\/p>\n

Machar\u2019s party told the RJMEC it was ready for \u201cdialogue\u201d provided there is a mediator, a role now taken by Kenya.<\/p>\n

Yakani said such dialogue should not be limited to political players, often driven by their own interests, but include civil society, religious leaders, youth and women.<\/p>\n

He said people were \u201cnot interested\u201d in further delays, but if there was another extension of the transition period \u201cit needs a clear timeline\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they fail to make decisions by late April it will be a disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The clock is ticking but every day doubt is growing. For South Sudan\u2019s international partners, civil society and observers, April is the last chance to ensure that the first elections in the young nation\u2019s history take place, as planned, in December. South Sudan has had a long wait to elect its leaders […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":55825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,293],"tags":[234,265,233],"class_list":["post-55826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","category-to-homepage","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-south-sudan","tag-south-sudan"],"yoast_head":"\nWill troubled South Sudan make December election date? - South Sudan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The clock is ticking but every day doubt is growing. For South Sudan\u2019s international partners, civil society and observe ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Will troubled South Sudan make December election date?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The clock is ticking but every day doubt is growing. For South Sudan\u2019s international partners, civil society and observe ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Sudan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-02T16:11:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-02T17:23:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2024\/04\/sm_1712065613.809561.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"405\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Will troubled South Sudan make December election date?\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-02T16:11:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-02T17:23:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date\"},\"wordCount\":787,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2024\/04\/sm_1712065613.809561.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-South-Sudan\",\"South-Sudan\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"files\",\"to-homepage\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date\",\"name\":\"Will troubled South Sudan make December election date? - South Sudan\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2024\/04\/sm_1712065613.809561.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-02T16:11:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-02T17:23:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"The clock is ticking but every day doubt is growing. For South Sudan\u2019s international partners, civil society and observe ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2024\/04\/sm_1712065613.809561.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2024\/04\/sm_1712065613.809561.jpg\",\"width\":720,\"height\":405,\"caption\":\"Will troubled South Sudan make December election date?\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Will troubled South Sudan make December election date?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/\",\"name\":\"South Sudan\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Will troubled South Sudan make December election date? - South Sudan","description":"The clock is ticking but every day doubt is growing. For South Sudan\u2019s international partners, civil society and observe ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Will troubled South Sudan make December election date?","og_description":"The clock is ticking but every day doubt is growing. For South Sudan\u2019s international partners, civil society and observe ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date","og_site_name":"South Sudan","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2024-04-02T16:11:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-04-02T17:23:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":720,"height":405,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2024\/04\/sm_1712065613.809561.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Will troubled South Sudan make December election date?","datePublished":"2024-04-02T16:11:07+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-02T17:23:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date"},"wordCount":787,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2024\/04\/sm_1712065613.809561.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-South-Sudan","South-Sudan"],"articleSection":["all news","files","to-homepage"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date","name":"Will troubled South Sudan make December election date? - South Sudan","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2024\/04\/sm_1712065613.809561.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-02T16:11:07+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-02T17:23:07+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"The clock is ticking but every day doubt is growing. For South Sudan\u2019s international partners, civil society and observe ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2024\/04\/sm_1712065613.809561.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2024\/04\/sm_1712065613.809561.jpg","width":720,"height":405,"caption":"Will troubled South Sudan make December election date?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/will-troubled-south-sudan-make-december-election-date#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Will troubled South Sudan make December election date?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/","name":"South Sudan","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}