East Africa Legislative Assembly in Arusha, Tanzania - Photo credit - EALA website

Thirty-one candidates have been nominated to compete for nine positions in the East Africa Legislative Assembly.

The unity parliament will elect nine of the candidates to EALA on Friday.

Jemma Nunu Kumba, the speaker of the august house confirmed the nomination of the candidates to EALA.

“On Friday, we will go for the election, we will have a sitting for the election of the East African members of parliament,” Nunu told the lawmakers in Juba on Tuesday.

“We could have actually done it next week, the election but we are restricted by the treaty, or by the election act of EALA which requires that the election should be completed in September, on Friday is the last day of September,

“We need to be in conformity with the law of EALA, otherwise we can be disqualified from that. Also, the verification committee of the candidates has been formed so that they can start their work, the process that will lead to the election.”

The candidates contesting for elections to EALA positions are from parties to the revitalized peace agreement and others are independent.

The SPLM member-candidates include Dr. Ann Itto, Gai Deng Nhial, Dr. Gabriel Garang, Dr. Wuda Jeremiah, Kim Gai Ruot.

SPLM-IO nominees are Leor Johnson and Sadia James Sebit.

Emmanuel Makur is nominated by SSOA and Nyakuma Peter Gatkuoth and Josephine Daniel are nominated by OPP.

Bruthurus Ayol Abuol from the USAP party.

The independent candidates are Gabriel Alak, Gedeon Gatpan, Thomas Dut, Mukulai Kennedy, Esther Aker, Buor Gatwech, Agol Malak, Katharina Peter, Ronal Duany, Nhial Abraham, Ajak Mayol.

Others are Dr. Paneu Garang, Kot Martin, Mijak Ngok, Wani Stephen, Deng Alier, Dhuruai Mabor, Roselina Samuel, Akoch Ajang, and Tek Chan.

In August 2017, members of the then Transitional Legislative Assembly elected nine representatives to the East Africa Legislative Assembly.

29 candidates contested for the seats in which six men won through a polling, while three females were elected unopposed.

They include; Dr. Ann Itto, Gai Deng Nhial Deng and Wuda Jeremiah Odok.

The MPs said they had already represented one-third women representation, one of the requirements for South Sudan membership to the parliament based in Arusha Tanzania.

Out of the nine elects, five of them were from the SPLM; three are independents with SPLM-IO winning only one seat at the EALA.

The process took place after a court in Tanzania rejected a list of individuals President Salva Kiir appointed earlier through a decree.

Three of those appointees had failed to retain their seats during the exercise held at the legislature.

They include; Joseph Ukel Ubango, Adil Elais Sandrai and Issac Aziz Justin.

After the election on Friday, the East African Court of Justice is expected to verify whether proper procedures were followed in the elections of the 9 members.

Article 50 of the East African Legislative Assembly on Election of Members of the Assembly says, the National Assembly of each Partner States shall elect, not from among its members, nine members of the Assembly, who shall represent as much as it is feasible, the various political parties represented in the National Assembly, shades of opinion, gender and other special interest groups in that Partner State, in accordance with such procedure as the National Assembly of each Partner State may determine.

South Sudan officially joined the East African Community in 2016, with concerns from opposition leaders that it would turn the country into a dumping ground for goods from the region.