JUBA – The National Elections Commission (NEC) has delivered the first batch of voter registration materials to the Central Equatoria State High Elections Committee as preparations continue for South Sudan’s December 22 general elections.
The materials include voter registration books, 29 supplementary forms, laminating machines, and voter registration kits, according to NEC Chairperson Gabriel Bol Deng.
“Today’s delivery of the first batch of voter registration books, other 29 supplementary forms, equipment (Laminator Machines) and voter registration kits by the National Elections Commission to Central Equatoria State High Elections Committee marks an important step in South Sudan’s journey towards democratic governance and the exercise of citizens’ constitutional rights,” he said.
Bol said the delivery was part of broader efforts to enable eligible citizens to participate in choosing the country’s leadership, stressing the need for an inclusive and credible electoral process.
“The National Elections Commission, political stakeholders, civil society organizations, and all relevant institutions have a responsibility to ensure that the electoral process is credible, peaceful, and accessible to all eligible South Sudanese, including women, young people, persons with disabilities, and citizens in remote communities,” he said.
He described the handover as part of the country’s broader responsibility to build a democratic system in which every citizen’s voice counts.
Edmond Yakani, executive director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), said his organisation observed the handover as part of its domestic pre-election observation mission.
Yakani described the delivery as the first phase of the distribution of voter registration materials to the Central Equatoria State High Elections Committee and urged the commission to extend the exercise to other parts of the country.
“This is impressive. We hope that in the time left, the leadership of the National Election Commission will undertake this exercise seriously and ensure all these materials are delivered to all states and three administrative areas, and all these materials are delivered to the registration center,” Yakani said.
The distribution comes as South Sudan faces a tight deadline to prepare for the December 22 elections, with less than two months remaining before the scheduled polls.
Voter registration had not officially begun by the end of October, although the NEC had indicated that the exercise was expected to start in early November. It has stated when the voter registration will start.
Other outstanding preparations, including logistical arrangements, funding and the publication of a comprehensive electoral timetable, have also raised concerns about the readiness of the electoral process.
The December elections are expected to be South Sudan’s first general polls since independence in 2011, following repeated extensions of the transitional period.
