President Salva Kiir. (Office of the President).

President Salva Kiir has ruled out further extensions of the transitional period and said the country will go to polls exactly on December 2024.

Kiir made the remarks during the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of SPLA Day on Tuesday.

“As I said many times, there will be no further extension of this transition period,” he said in a press release on the SPLA Day.

“And those who are doubting our ability to remain peaceful during the upcoming period, I would like to tell them that there will be no return to war under my watch,” he added.

Kiir said the unity government is determined to grant South Sudanese the right to choose their leaders through credible and transparent elections.

“Despite the challenges that may arise in this notable task, we are determined to give you, the citizen the right to choose your leaders through credible, transparent, and fair elections comes 2024.”

The president stated that his intention to restore stability in the country is unshaken.

He further said the transitional government will continue implementing the remaining provisions of the revitalized peace agreement, under the new roadmap.

He called on South Sudanese to support the parties to the peace agreement by embracing peaceful co-existence among themselves.

Meanwhile, on May 10, 2023, the Deputy Chairman of the SPLM-IO Oyet Nathaniel expressed doubts about the conduct of the general elections due to what he termed as slow pace of peace implementation.

Nathaniel, who is also the First Deputy Speaker of parliament said the implementation matrix is not moving in the manner it was designed while time is running out.

He said the National Transitional Committee, which oversees the peace implementation, should be held accountable for the slow implementation of the peace provision.

The 2018 peace deal dictates the conduct of a general election at the end of the transitional period in December next year.