Machar prepares SPLM/A-IO for 2023 elections

South Sudan’s main opposition party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO), led by First Vice President Dr Riek Machar Teny, has started preparations for the 2023 general elections, tentatively slated for 2023.

Addressing the 4^th SPLM/A-IO National Liberation Council (NLC) yesterday at Freedom Hall in Juba, Dr Machar said although the future of the 2023 general elections was not clear, it was important for the party to be organised to face any eventuality that would come in the near future. This includes the planned 2023 election that has elicited mixed reactions over its feasibility owing to logistical challenges.

“To be a strong party, you need to be organised. Therefore, for us to be organised we must start preparing and focusing on how to build a strong party in the country, that means, starting right from the grassroots level,” Dr Machar said as he persuaded his party members to heed to the call of unity.

He also told his members to start preparing for the recruitment of new members into the party once it announced all the chairpersons, deputy chairpersons, and secretaries across the country.

All needs to be done

However, the first vice president emphasised that there is a need for the parties to the 2018 peace agreement to recommit and double their efforts to make sure that the major tasks in the peace agreement are implemented.

Machar also reiterated his call for caution on election talks, which, according to him, appear premature based on the fact that there are salient outstanding tasks yet to be accomplished.

“Especially the security arrangements and the permanent constitution; these two are key for the elections to happen in the country, because without implementing those fully, the transition may not be completed, meaning the end game, which is to go for elections, will not be done.”

According to Dr Machar, it will require 21 months to complete the process of permanent constitution-making, which he believes is more than the expected time required to prepare for elections.

Contingency measures

He added that what is now important is for the national assembly to pass some laws, especially about the amendments of the permanent constitution to pave the way for some of the chapters to kick off with its implementation.

”Our hope is that some of these bills, will be passed by the national legislative assembly before Christmas so that it will allow us to implement some of these tasks earlier because if they leave it to next year; it makes it difficult for us to move far,” he stressed.

He stated that so far, the parties to the agreement have formed executives, ministers, and national legislatures, both the national assembly and the council of states and that both houses are now in the process of forming the selected committees.

He said from his side that they have already been nominated and are waiting for appointments.

“From his side, we have finished with the formation and nomination of our selected committees, including deputy chairpersons, and we hope that the other partners in the assembly will also finish their process of electing the selected chairpersons with their deputies so that both houses fully formed,” he told to his party members during the one-day meeting.

Dr Machar added that Chapter Five of the Revitalised Peace Agreement remained one of the chapters which are yet to be implemented fully.

Dr Machar’s sentiments on elections come barely two weeks after the national minister for information, Michael Makuei, told the fifth governors’ forum in Juba that the government had remained with lean choices to make as the 2023 elections approach.

Makuei said there were only 15 months left to clear the outstanding chapters and meet the logistical arrangements, which is merely impossible.

“Now with this period really, shall we be in a position to complete these processes within the15 months? And if we don’t complete it within that period, what is the way forward? That is another issue before us,” the minister posed as he addressed the fifth governors’ forum in Juba.

“And again, if we don’t complete within that period, what is the way forward? That is another issue before us. So, we need to think of what to do in case the constitution doesn’t come out on time, ” said Makuei.

Makuei said the onus is on the parties to decide whether or not to conduct elections without a permanent constitution in 2023 or extend the period to have ample time to enact the permanent constitution and go for the race afterwards.

“And in the course of doing that, we have two options: either to run elections in accordance with the current constitution… and allow the parliament, which is the reconstituted assembly, to amend the current constitution to conform to what you have in mind or extend your period. Even though there have been so many extensions, we are extending it again so that you get enough time to pass your constitution, ” Makuei said.

The one-day meeting was attended by members of Political Bureau (PB), members of National Liberation Council (NLC), and members of the National Legislature, States and Administrative Areas leadership (Chairpersons, Deputy Chairpersons, and Secretaries), including senior members of Security Mechanisms.