By William Madouk
National Election Commission (NEC) is possibly staring at potential time challenges to meet all the prerequisites of electoral preparedness.
The chairperson of United Nations Integrated Electoral Assistance team in South Sudan, Darren S. Nance noted preparations for elections start two or more years earlier.
“While two years sounds like a long time, the reality is that, it is a short amount of time. Most countries start a process to get elections two or more years in advance of election themselves,” he said.
Nance, who is also UNMISS Principal Affairs Officer was speaking during opening of 4-day induction workshop for state high election committee members in Juba, on Tuesday.
He said South Sudan is not an exception.
Observing that a constitution-making process might take 18-months, Nance said its likely to conflict with December 2026 scheduled election timeline.
“Well, if the constitution-making process is 18 month long and there is only two years extension, then, there is a problem for the National Elections Commission,” Nance cited.
According to Nance the NEC has up to about 20 months from now, to accomplish its duty, hinting that, with the short duration, conducting elections in Dec, 2026 remains hanging.
“Well, that is impossible – if you are planning for December 2026 elections… these are some of the immediate challenges that the nation faces,” he told high National Election Committee members.
Nance disclosed that as per electoral timetable, census was to be conducted within 16-month, which he said is a problem if boundary demarcation is required.
By law, boundary delimitation is supposed be conducted 1-year or more before election date, he said.
Nance urged NEC to help steer the civil society, political decision makers and parties to 2018 peace deal, to articulate challenges that will hamper the planned 2026 general elections.
He pledged UN commitment to support decision taking in regard to ‘polls timeline’, ‘achievable implementation plans and capacity building’.
For instance; voter registration – budget for voter registration and procurement plans, voter education, lobby for funds, and how to kick start the operation.
In a quick response, the Chairperson of the National Election Commission (NEC), Prof. Abednego Akok said, to go for election or not is not election commission’s decision to make but politicians.
“We know the consequences of the election now, constitution review in number of months and census in number of months. How do we compromise this, is not our work, it is the work of political leaders,” he stated.
He further calls for the National Election Commissions to be properly prepared during this extension period.
Prof. Akok rued of what he alleged as a complicated ten-point documents, asserting that commission members must ‘study’ it, including the National Election Act like the back of their hands.