South Sudan says will hold elections in May 2015
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Elisabeth Janaina
Jan 2, 2015, 12:00:31 AM1/2/15
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South Sudan says will hold elections in May 2015
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January 1, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government said on the eve of
New Year that it would go ahead with preparations and plans to hold
general elections, ignoring calls from opposition political parties to
delay the vote.
JPEG - 27.9 kb
Salva Kiir casts his vote in the 2010 elections.
South Sudanese presidential spokesperson told Sudan Tribune on
Thursday that the chairperson of the elections commission held
discussions with the president and all the stakeholders, including
other political parties and it was agreed that elections would be held
in May.
“Because June will be a rainy season, it was agreed that elections
will be held in May. The elections calendar will be out soon,” Ateny
Wek Ateny said on Thursday. He added that the campaign period will
start in March.
Meanwhile, the head of the National Elections Commission (NEC),
Abednego Akok Kachuol, in a separate interview said elections will be
held in accordance with the provisions of the constitution and the
elections calendar will be released soon after consultations.
“As a commission we are doing our work in accordance with the
constitution which provides to hold the election in 2015. We are
consulting all the stakeholders and we are almost finishing it,”
Kachuol disclosed.
He said they reached the leaders of political parties, and members of
the national parliament, and they will release the electoral calendar
once they finish the assessment of the inputs of these consultations.
The presidential spokesperson said anybody who wants to ascend to
power should participate in the vote, so that the people decide who
they would like to be the leader of the country instead of changing
the government and the institutions through means which are
unconstitutional.
The general elections include the presidency, the parliament, the
National Legislative Assembly, the Council of States plus the
governors and chambers of the 10 states.
Last December, the council of ministers approved a 1.5 billion budget
for general elections, but an alliance of 23 political parties says
the conduct of elections would be a violation of the transitional
constitution and called for the delay.
The transitional constitution stipulates that elections must be held
in 2015 so that the new government takes charge in July 9th, 2015 when
the term of the current government shall have expired on July 8. Also
the fundamental law provides that the term of the president "shall be
four years, commencing from July 9, 2011.
Salva Kiir was elected as the president of what was then southern
Sudan in April 2010 before the independence as part of the 2005
Comprehensive Peace Agreement which the ended the more than two decade
conflict with between the north and south.
According to the transitional constitution endorsed after the
independence in July 2011, elections are to be held in 2015. However
political parties call for postponing the polls after the eruption of
the inter-South Sudanese conflict due to the widespread insecurity,
political and humanitarian consequences of the conflict.
Last month, Lam Akol Ajawin, the leader of the main opposition Sudan
people’s Liberation for democratic change (SPLM-DC) said holding
elections in 2015 would contravene some provisions in the constitution
and asked for the delay of the election.
Akol said the political parties are not yet registered in accordance
with the elections act of 2012. He pointed that the general census is
not held as the transitional constitution provides because of the
ongoing conflict.
“It also calls for a National Elections Commission to be set up to
organise the vote. The current elections commission is still
organising and lacks a lot of things. So are elections going to be
carried out in violation of the constitution and in violation of the
law?” Akol wondered.
Akol suggested that the money approved for the elections should be
used to help the hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese affected by
this “senseless” conflict .
Opposition parties and activists also call for the postponement of
general elections, pointing for the need to reach a political
settlement to the one-year conflict and achieve national
reconciliation.
A South Sudanese analyst said it is opportune to speak about elections
while the United Nations is asking the international community for
$1.8 billion for humanitarian response in the country.
“Instead of channeling this money for humanitarian issues, the
government is talking about elections. Are we really being serious? Do
our leaders care about the plights of our people? Is the legitimacy of
the government more important than the lives of the people” he said.
(ST)
Article
Comments (0)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
myspace
buzzyahoo
January 1, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudanese government said on the eve of
New Year that it would go ahead with preparations and plans to hold
general elections, ignoring calls from opposition political parties to
delay the vote.
JPEG - 27.9 kb
Salva Kiir casts his vote in the 2010 elections.
South Sudanese presidential spokesperson told Sudan Tribune on
Thursday that the chairperson of the elections commission held
discussions with the president and all the stakeholders, including
other political parties and it was agreed that elections would be held
in May.
“Because June will be a rainy season, it was agreed that elections
will be held in May. The elections calendar will be out soon,” Ateny
Wek Ateny said on Thursday. He added that the campaign period will
start in March.
Meanwhile, the head of the National Elections Commission (NEC),
Abednego Akok Kachuol, in a separate interview said elections will be
held in accordance with the provisions of the constitution and the
elections calendar will be released soon after consultations.
“As a commission we are doing our work in accordance with the
constitution which provides to hold the election in 2015. We are
consulting all the stakeholders and we are almost finishing it,”
Kachuol disclosed.
He said they reached the leaders of political parties, and members of
the national parliament, and they will release the electoral calendar
once they finish the assessment of the inputs of these consultations.
The presidential spokesperson said anybody who wants to ascend to
power should participate in the vote, so that the people decide who
they would like to be the leader of the country instead of changing
the government and the institutions through means which are
unconstitutional.
The general elections include the presidency, the parliament, the
National Legislative Assembly, the Council of States plus the
governors and chambers of the 10 states.
Last December, the council of ministers approved a 1.5 billion budget
for general elections, but an alliance of 23 political parties says
the conduct of elections would be a violation of the transitional
constitution and called for the delay.
The transitional constitution stipulates that elections must be held
in 2015 so that the new government takes charge in July 9th, 2015 when
the term of the current government shall have expired on July 8. Also
the fundamental law provides that the term of the president "shall be
four years, commencing from July 9, 2011.
Salva Kiir was elected as the president of what was then southern
Sudan in April 2010 before the independence as part of the 2005
Comprehensive Peace Agreement which the ended the more than two decade
conflict with between the north and south.
According to the transitional constitution endorsed after the
independence in July 2011, elections are to be held in 2015. However
political parties call for postponing the polls after the eruption of
the inter-South Sudanese conflict due to the widespread insecurity,
political and humanitarian consequences of the conflict.
Last month, Lam Akol Ajawin, the leader of the main opposition Sudan
people’s Liberation for democratic change (SPLM-DC) said holding
elections in 2015 would contravene some provisions in the constitution
and asked for the delay of the election.
Akol said the political parties are not yet registered in accordance
with the elections act of 2012. He pointed that the general census is
not held as the transitional constitution provides because of the
ongoing conflict.
“It also calls for a National Elections Commission to be set up to
organise the vote. The current elections commission is still
organising and lacks a lot of things. So are elections going to be
carried out in violation of the constitution and in violation of the
law?” Akol wondered.
Akol suggested that the money approved for the elections should be
used to help the hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese affected by
this “senseless” conflict .
Opposition parties and activists also call for the postponement of
general elections, pointing for the need to reach a political
settlement to the one-year conflict and achieve national
reconciliation.
A South Sudanese analyst said it is opportune to speak about elections
while the United Nations is asking the international community for
$1.8 billion for humanitarian response in the country.
“Instead of channeling this money for humanitarian issues, the
government is talking about elections. Are we really being serious? Do
our leaders care about the plights of our people? Is the legitimacy of
the government more important than the lives of the people” he said.
(ST)
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