<\/p>\n
President Salva Kiir signed amendments to the National Elections Act of 2012, allowing elections to proceed without completing a permanent constitution or national census.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kiir\u2019s office described the amendments as \u201canother major milestone\u201d in preparations for elections. However, the South Sudan Opposition Alliance rejected the changes, citing inadequate consultation among parties to the 2018 peace agreement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation Executive Director Edmund Yakani said the removed requirements formed part of the transition from conflict to democratic government. \u201cIt means we\u2019re going to hold elections outside the commitment of the parties to the 2018 peace agreement,\u201d Yakani said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a moment of disappointment. It\u2019s a moment of frustration. Citizens live with a very high level of fear.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Yakani warned that disagreements could deepen tensions involving the Sudan People\u2019s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition and other political groups. \u201cThe risk is very high if it\u2019s not properly managed,\u201d Yakani said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs Researcher Advocate Sipho Mantula said elections remained important but questioned whether South Sudan could complete preparations within the limited time available.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Voter registration has not started, while electoral officials require training and citizens need comprehensive civic education. \u201cYou need an impartial and credible electoral management body that will be able to be the midwife of this political transition,\u201d Mantula said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mantula said public consultation was essential whenever Parliament or electoral authorities amended legislation affecting elections. \u201cYou must always remember the voice of the electorate,\u201d Mantula said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The constitutional drafting process and national population and housing census could continue independently, but removing both as conditions for elections had created questions about compliance with the peace agreement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Yakani said South Sudanese citizens increasingly viewed inclusive political dialogue as the only viable route away from renewed violence.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are looking for dialogue,\u201d Yakani said. \u201cThat can be a better tool for transitioning the country from violence to peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Yakani called on the African Union (AU) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development to increase engagement and help bring South Sudanese parties to the negotiating table.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mantula said regional and international partners should support the peace process while assessing security, institutional capacity and the pre-election environment.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe peace process of South Sudan should be put into action,\u201d Mantula said. \u201cThe role of the international community, particularly the AU, is very key.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":44254,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-46189","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"South Sudan\u2019s removal of constitutional and census requirements before elections has raised concerns about the peace agreement, electoral readiness and the risk of renewed political instability.","published_date":"","news_description":"South Sudan\u2019s removal of constitutional and census requirements before elections has raised concerns about the peace agreement, electoral readiness and the risk of renewed political instability.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46190,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46189\/revisions\/46190"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=46189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}