Peter Lam Both, the SPLM-IG Secretary-General - Courtesy

The SPLM-IG Secretary-General on Wednesday (20 September) provided five priority areas for the 2024 elections to take place. Deployment of unified forces and reconstitution of the Electoral Commission among key focus areas.

Peter Lam Both says a few prerequisites remain to be implemented for South Sudan to conduct free, fair, and credible elections in December 2024.

He says these five conditions include the deployment of unified forces, the Political Party Act, The formation of a Political Party Council, the Elections Bill, and the reconstitution of the Electoral Commission.

Lam also says the election can still take place without the repatriation of refugees, the conduct of a census, and a permanent constitution.

“There are only five conditions for elections to take place, one condition is security. The fact that there will be a deployment of a unified force and I think hopefully within a month, it will happen, “Lam told Eye Radio in an interview on Wednesday.

“Number two is the Political Part Act which has been already signed by the President into law. The third is the formation of the political party council which is an event, that will not take more than a week, and the elections bill which has been passed by the parliament and waiting for the signature of the President of the republic,” he said.

“The fourth is the reconstitution of the elections commission. These are the five prerequisites for an election to take place in South Sudan.”

“Other issues include the return of refugees, the permanent constitution, and population census. These are not prerequisites for an election to take place.”

Lam is urging political parties to prepare for elections as stipulated in the revitalized peace agreement to avoid a blame game later.

According to Lam, the Sudan People Liberation Movement has registered more than 4.9 million party members currently.

“There will be free elections, that’s why we are saying the parties should prepare themselves so that they don’t say, we didn’t know that these elements of the agreement will be implemented and we will go for elections as stipulated,” Lam said.

“Let there be no suppresses, people must organize themselves. We in the SPLM have organized ourselves and we have registered more than 4.9 million people,” he said.

“Let parties register their members and we go for free and fair elections. You can’t call for free elections before it is done, that means you’re obstructing the elections process.”

“They [politicians] don’t want to go for elections because they are comfortable in those positions given to them by the agreement but the people of South Sudan are tired of those political arrangements. They need a government that will be elected by them.”

“Whoever is outside should make sure they are registered, where to vote and whom to vote for. If SPLM is defeated in the elections will accept it. The same way. If the other part is defeated they must accept the outcome.”