Issa Muzamil, the chairperson of the newly established National Patriotic Party - Courtesy

The chairperson of the newly established National Patriotic Party says pockets of insecurity in some parts of South Sudan should not stop the country from conducting its first general elections next year.

Issa Muzamil says Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria have all conducted elections despite the presence of rebel groups in those countries.

He says an earlier statement by the First Vice President that there will be no elections without full implementation of security arrangements as it ‘does not hold water’.

Two weeks ago, Dr. Riek Machar cast doubts over the conduct of free, credible and peaceful elections.

Machar said the critical tasks in the agreement should first be implemented before the country goes to polls.

He thinks the deployment of the necessary unified forces, the return of Internally Displaced Persons and refugees, reforms in the security sector, and putting in place a permanent constitution are key to free and fair elections.

Speaking on the Dawn show today, Issa Muzamil said his party is ready for elections, stressing that the country cannot continue to be run under the transitional government.

He said it is time for South Sudanese to choose their own leaders through ballots.

“We are 100 per cent ready for elections. This argument by Dr. Riek Machar doesn’t hold water because it is the same song we have been singing for 14 years. Oh, let’s extend for 8 months, 10 months, or two or three years,” said Issa.

“People have been born during these transitional extensions and they are even becoming adults and we are still calling for extensions,” he said.

“Pockets of insecurity are not new in Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo did elections, but does it mean there were no M23 rebels? There were rebels there. Uganda used to do elections when Konyi was still fighting there. In Nigeria, elections are done and there are Boko Haram.”

“The prospect of fights or insecurity shouldn’t be an excuse. What we need to understand is that there are certain things that can be done concurrently.”

“The demands put by Dr Riek Machar [security arrangements first] are logical, but it doesn’t mean that if they are not implemented let everything stop.”

The September 2018 peace deal obligates the unity government to hold elections two months before the end of the transitional period to establish a democratically elected government.

But in August last year, parties to the revitalized peace agreement extended the transitional period for 24 months.

In July this year, President Salva Kiir told his SPLM party members and supporters to work and ensure there is no extension of the transitional period next year.

South Sudan has never held a general election since independence in 2011.

The first general elections were scheduled to take place on the 9^th of July 2015.

However, the country descended into years of civil war, prompting the parliament to extend the presidential term until July 2018.