Kiir accuses ‘negative’ forces of working to undermine 2023 elections

JUBA – South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has accused unidentified institutions of working to undermine the national elections slated for the end of the transitional period in 2023, saying his government and concerned institutions are working to thwart these attempts to disrupt elections.

“Now, we say let’s prepare for elections to end the political deadlocks in our history, we are ready for that and the government and the concerned institutions are preparing for the elections to take place in 2023, but certain negative forces within and outside are working to undermine that plan,” Kiir told a group of Dinka elders in Juba on Sunday.

“When we say we postpone the elections, out brothers in the opposition would say ‘no, let’s conduct elections’ when we say let’s conduct elections, they say no, we are not ready for elections. This is a part of what has been wrong with the politics of our country,” the South Sudanese head of state added.

The remarks by the South Sudanese president comes days after he and his first deputy, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, who is also the leader of the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), disagreed over when elections should be conducted.

Kiir insists that the elections should be conducted, as provided for in the revitalized peace agreement, in 2023 irrespective of whether or not the unified forces, a key component of the 2018 peace agreement, is in place or not, something which has sparked concerns of return to war among observers.

Meanwhile First Vice President Machar and Vice-President Rebecca Garang say that elections won’t be conducted if the rival forces are not graduated and deployed, as well as if refugees from neighboring countries are not returned.