By William Madouk
Interim chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC) Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai, praised the government for the reconstitution of key election institutions.
This came after President Salva Kiir last week reconstituted the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC), the National Elections Commission (NEC), and the Political Parties Council (PPC), putting the country ripe for the 2024 polls.
“The reconstitution of these institutions is a welcome development, and I commend the parties to the agreement for this milestone,” said Gituai during the 33rd R-JMEC monthly meeting.
“In this regard, their effective functioning will pave the way towards the widening of civic and political space, the completion of the permanent constitution, as well as the timely conduct of elections,” he added.
However, according to him, preliminary analysis of the appointees to the three institutions indicates that the 35 percent women quota was not met, and he thus urged the parties to be mindful of women’s representation.
Addressing the monthly RJMEC plenary yesterday, Mr. Musa Gassama, on behalf of Nicholas Haysom, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS, urged parties to fund those electoral institutions.
“Let me start by welcoming the recent reconstitution of the National Elections Commission, Political Parties Council, and National Constitutional Review Commission,” said Musa Gassama.
“However, the credibility of these bodies begins with establishing public trust and confidence in these institutions from their inception,” he added.
He encouraged the government to urgently and amicably address the concerns raised by different parties related to the reconstitution.
“The clock has not stopped ticking. With 13 months until December 2024, the parties must engage in frank dialogue to reach a consensus on the way forward, which will require political and procedural compromises,” Gassama stressed.
“I urge the parties to demonstrate political will, pragmatism, and leadership by increasing their efforts to regain the trust of citizens and to encourage the international community’s goodwill to invest in the South Sudanese peace project,” he noted.
Mr. Lothar Jaschke, the EU Deputy Head of Delegation to Juba, said, “We congratulate its overall 77 members on their appointments. If there are differences on the appointments, they should be resolved by direct talks between the parties.”