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

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the South Sudan National Elections Commission will be one of a selected African observers that will oversee his country’s May 2024 general elections.

Ramaphosa is seeking reelection in an election marking the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic transition.

The general elections, announced in February, will be held on 29th May to elect a new National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each province.

Naledi Pandor, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, read out the president’s statement, following the conclusion of a three-day visit to Juba on Thursday.

“South Africa will in May this year hold general elections to afford our people their democratic right to choose their leaders,” Ramaphosa said.

“We are pleased that the National Elections Commission of South Sudan will observe our elections as part of the African Union Elections Observation Mission.”

The election observation mission will include forty observers from AU Member States, Pan African Parliament, representatives of Election Management Bodies, civil society organizations, as well as independent experts, women and youth.

The observers are tasked to provide an accurate and impartial assessment of the electoral process, including the degree to which the conduct of the elections meets regional, continental and international standards for democratic elections.

They will also offer recommendations for improvement of future elections based on the findings.

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

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

Ramaphosa returned to his country on Thursday afternoon after a three-day visit to South Sudan where he met political leaders on the 2018 peace agreement.

In a statement before his departure, he said progress in the South Sudan peace implementation is commendable while calling for continued dialogue to find consensus on outstanding issues in the agreement.

According to him, South Sudanese political leaders should agree on necessary conditions for holding credible elections, including addressing pending provisions of the such as the adoption of the constitution and security arrangement.