By Taban Henry
The Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization [CEPO] Mr. Edmund Yakani said the political dissatisfaction among the various political establishments and elites across the country offers threats for peace and stability.
In a statement released to the media on Sunday, Mr. Yakani revealed that the political dissatisfaction among the various political establishments and elites across the country offers threats for peace and stability, if the process for the conduct of the national general elections is not well prepared.
“It is a critical moment to engage in generating public opinion on the conduct of elections. What the public describes as conducive environment for the conduct of elections is essential. Conduct of elections without public trust and confidence is bad and it offers high opportunities for enemies of peace to strike violence,” Yakani stressed.
He said the trend of absence of rule of law in the country is higher and coupled with the increase in deadly armed communal violence; the electoral civic education process will witness so much interference by individuals or group of individuals who may not like credible processes for conduct of elections. The dialogue around conduct of credible elections should now be open up without any form of restrictions in order to generate public opinion on what describe credible election process in South Sudan.
“The phrase of well preparation for elections refers to following actions; Review of the Political Parties Act, 2012 and the National Election Act, 2012, reconstitution of the Political Parties Council and the National Election Commission, development of elections civic education materials and establishment of National Elections Funds,” he added.
In the recent days the United Nations Security Council deliberations around the conduct of elections in South Sudan is referred to the phrase (well preparation for conduct of elections).
Yakani mentioned that the required legal frameworks and relevant institutions for facilitating the conduct of general national elections are not yet well prepared for conduct of credible elections in accordance to the provisions of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) article 1.20. R-ARCSS provisions in article 1.20 on electoral process requires amendment of the laws associated with conduct of elections such as Political Parties Act, 2012, National Elections Act, 2012 on one hand while on the other R-ARCSS provisions article 1.20 requires reconstitution of the Political Parties Council and National Election Commission.
He further stressed that ensuring that other laws such as security laws are in compliance with the principles of conducting credible elections is required.
“I am urging the leadership of the country to invest funds for creating conducive environment for the conduct of national general elections. Without well preparation for the conduct of credible elections, the rushing for elections may offer the country worse case. Observation of political freedoms and rights associated with credible electoral processes,” he stressed.
Mr. Edmund Yakani said elections is the only legitimate political process for peaceful and honorable transfer of political power in the country but it requires well preparation and creation of conducive environment for the conduct of elections.
He mentioned that CEPO will engage in generating public opinions on the conduct of the general national elections. “Our public opinion desk review on the conduct of elections findings will be released on 20th April, 2022” he said.