S. Sudan minister denounces calls for ‘premature elections’

JUBA – South Sudan’s minister for humanitarian affairs and disaster management Peter Mayen Majongdit has denounced – in a statement to the media – calls by activists and some peace guarantors for elections saying no one in the country would accept what he calls pre-mature elections.

This comes after exiled South Sudan activist Peter Biar Ajak said during a testimony before the US senate earlier this month that the US government and other peace guarantors should pressure the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit to hold elections next year.

Last week, President Salva Kiir’s office responded with rejection saying no elections will take place next year as provided for in the revitalized peace agreement because several tasks that are supposed to be implemented before elections are still pending.

Other opposition groups such as the SPLM-IO led by Kiir’s first deputy Dr. Riek Machar Teny and the National Democratic Movement (NDM) led by prominent opposition leader Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin have already rejected the government plan to postpone elections saying the former ITGONU has not right to postpone elections.

Speaking in a recorded video on Tuesday night, Mayen said several provisions of the agreement that are needed for conduct of a peaceful elections such as the security arrangements are still pending and any call for elections is premature and will not resolve the current situation in the country.

“I am here to remind those calling for premature elections that it is not time to talk of,” Mayen said. “the major focus should be to implement the agreement [and] particular the key provisions of the agreement which include but not limited to the security arrangements, permanent constitution, re-legislation of key laws , the elections act, the political parties act and also to make sure that the upcoming national legislative assembly embark on serious work to met the timeline and dateline.”

Mayen who is the leader of the opposition consortium, OPP, said none of the parties will accept to go for elections saying a lot of work is yet to be done including the formation of the reconstituted transitional national parliament which would enact always ahead of elections.

“I want to say that we are too far away to talk about elections and of course, nobody will ever accept to go for premature elections and elections is not about President Kiir neither it is about any of the leaders of South Sudan, elections are about the people to rethink, to reconsider, to look back at the past history, what has gone wrong and how society can be rejuvenated towards progress, development and prosperity and that is the perception of what elections should be,” he said.

“Of course, this agreement will end at elections where the South Sudanese themselves will have the choice to chose the leader of their own,” he added.

The controversial senior government official further lashed at Peter Biar saying he is “out of motion and is premature and perhaps hasn’t understand the context of the agreement and the political context of his own people.”

“This is a government of collegial and President Kiir within the presidency has a First Vice President who he need to work together and whatever decision he does it has to come in a collegial manner within the presidency.

“This is a government of national unity, so when you call for exit, it would make sense to call for exit of the current government which is a revitalized government of national unity.”