By Bosco Bush
The timeline for voter registration is uncertain as the country gets ready for the upcoming December 2024, general elections.
According to the National Election Act 2012, as amended in 2023, voter registration should be conducted at least six months before the elections.
In early July, the chairperson of the National Election Commission (NEC) announced that December 22, 2024, would be the official date for South Sudanese citizens to vote for their leaders.
However, with less than five months remaining until the scheduled election date, the fate and possibilities of voter registration remain uncertain.
Prof. Abednego Akok, the Chairperson of the National Election Commission (NEC), told this outlet that he is yet to meet with the country’s leadership (Presidency) to discuss the way forward for the voter registration process.
“I am looking forward to meeting the leadership and discussing with them, and then we will come and clear, and start the registration,” Akok said.
The 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCISS) provides for the conduct of elections at the end of the transitional period.
Since attaining secession from the North in 2011, South Sudan has faced political turmoil that has disrupted its political and socioeconomic fabric.
The implementation of the R-ARCISS has been seen as the only hope for the restoration of peace and stability in the country, though it has faced multiple deadlines.
Currently, the National Unity Government is negotiating with the holdout opposition groups through the Tumaini Peace Initiative in Nairobi, to reach a consensus and further strengthen peace across the country.