President Salva Kiir meets NEC boss Abednego Akok. (-)

The National Elections Commission suggested to the government the use of the 2010 geographical constituencies to conduct the anticipated December 2024 elections.

Prof. Abednego Akok said the Commission has drafted the elections timeline, which starts with the establishment of voter’s registration in June.

He stated that the commission expects to mobilize necessary resources for its activities soon.

According to him, the election body has also presented its pre-election activities to the executive – including a plan to settle the status of the headquarters in Juba and restructuring the state’s offices.

The other item in the drafted elections timeline according to Prof. Abednego is the electoral budget and the election timelines.

The head of the National Election Commission however said the proposal to use the old figure require a political decision.

“What do we have suggested here in the draft Is that let us use 2010 constituencies, 102, because there is no boundary delimitation we can make now because census is not done,” Akok said.

He was speaking during a Tuesday panel discussion on the political and technical dimensions of the national elections at the ongoing civil society conference.

“We are to use the whole figures and before that, I made some consultation with outsiders and they said yes what you can do you apply voter registration, but this one also needs political decision.”

“However, until now it is on the table. We have been talking frequently with the leadership about how prepared we for us are there is nothing difficult.”

The National Elections Commission is mandated to calculate the national dividend by dividing the total population of South Sudan by the figure which represent half of the members of the national parliament to be elected through geographical constituencies.

The elections act said the National Legislative Assembly shall have 332 members of parliament of which 50% of them shall be elected through geographical constituencies while 35% seats shall be filled by women.

Meanwhile 15% shall come through the parry list and 2% shall be filled by persons with disability.

Geographical constituency is based on voting districts formed by the NEC and was established to ensure that the needs and interests of the people in each of the geographical areas are equally and fairly represented.

Prof. Abednigo Akok, however, said they have forwarded the division of the geographical constituencies to the Minister of Justice for political decision.

“There are two issues which are very important in the act. The act has suggested 332 seats for constituencies now we sat down, and we made our calculation.”

“We came up with the feeling that we must refer this to the Minister of Justice to review this because when we divide 50% geographical, 50% are PR, 5% to be appointed by the elected president we cannot do that it needs a political decision.”

“We send it I think two months ago immediately when we were reconstituted, and this one should be taken very seriously.”

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the South Sudan National Bureau of Statistics concurred with a proposal to use the result of 2008 Sudan Housing and Population Census.

Dr. Augustino Ting Mayai said another option is for the country to go for Presidential, Governorship and Commissioners elections and set aside the parliamentary elections.

“Option three is an opportunity to leverage the 2008 census which provided our elections commission a number of constituencies, 102 but that also directly deals where the number of constituencies that have been added.”

“My colleagues from the elections commission would say what those numbers are but at least about 50 more constituency-based elections, that would have to be considered on the constituency.”

“So, what do you do with that well, you have some options that you can also explore 18 to distribute those 50 or so to the other groups women’s list or get rid of until next elections if there is a need.”

Dr. Ting went on to say if the Bureau receives necessary resources from the government, it will organize and conduct census in 16 months’ period.