Professor Abednego Akok, the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission - Credit | Lou Nelson/Eye Radio | Feb. 17, 2022

The Presidency has decided that electoral institutions will be tasked with developing a ‘realistic’ timetable for the elections, according to the Minister of Cabinet Affairs.

These include the National Elections Commission, the National Constitution Review Commission and the Political Parties Council.

The decision came as the SPLM and SPLM-IO parties presented what the High-level Standing Committee described as two extreme views.

Cabinet Affairs Minister Dr Elia Lumoro said the SPLM and other parties maintained that elections be held as stipulated in the roadmap.

However, the SPLM-IO suggested that the democratic exercise be differed by 24 months to allow completion of the critical provisions of the agreement.

According to Dr Lumoro, the Presidency directed the High-Level Standing Committee to develop a realistic timetable for the parties to agree on when elections should be conducted.

“The High-level Standing Committee should summon the elections institutions; The National Elections Commissioner, the Constitutions Review Committee and the Political Parities’ Council and to challenge them with what they technical referred to as challenges and provide a realistic timetable for us to agree when there should be elections,” he said.

He added that parties emphasized that holding elections is obligatory, and is a factor of stability as well as good governance in South Sudan.

“They all agreed the R-ARCSS and the Roadmap provided for security and stability in the period that has gone and we are now committed to conducting elections and to seeking advice from the institutions concerned. This is an important Consensus, Dr Lomuro added.

On 6 July, the National Elections Commission announced December 22, 2024, as the date for elections.

Recently, the government spokesperson, Michael Makuei stated that the polls would determined by the leadership based on the outcome of the Tumaini Initiative and a report on roadmap evaluation.

South Sudan is yet to hold its first-ever general elections.