President Salva Kiir proudly displays his nomination certificate from the Greater Equatoria region amidst supporters at a rally hosted at the Dr. John Garang Mausoleum in Juba - Credit: Office of the President - May 25, 202

President Salva Kiir has assured that the December 2024 slated elections will be peaceful while opposing the calls from certain Western countries and political parties for an extension of the electoral timeline.

He made these remarks during his endorsement by the SPLM Equatoria region as the Presidential candidate for the upcoming general elections.

Kiir emphasized that the elections will be conducted freely and fairly, without any external interference.

The President reassured the public that come December, the people of South Sudan will have the opportunity to democratically choose their leaders.

“I have asked for inter-party dialogue to find an amicable solution on the way forward for elections to be held. People are saying if we go ahead with elections, South Sudanese will fight,” President Kiir told his supporters at the SPLM rally in Juba.

“I must assure you that nobody will fight, instead, it is the absence of elections that poses a greater risk of unrest,” he said.

“If I ask any of you here whether he likes or she likes the elections or not, I think the majority of answers will be positive.

“There are people who stood up in America and Europe saying this SPLM thing must be prevented because if they go for elections, people will fight, who among you will fight? he asked.

“I didn’t know that there are people among you who want to fight but the whites are saying that if we are allowed to conduct elections, people will die a lot in the fight.

“Our position in the SPLM is that the people of South Sudan must be given the chance to choose their leaders at the end of this interim period”.

South Sudan is expected to hold its first general elections later this year, as agreed upon by parties to the revitalized peace agreement, after they extended the transitional period for 24 months in August 2022.

The poll’s outcome would signal an end to the transitional period after the establishment of a democratically elected government.