The National Constitutional Amendment Committee (NCAC) on Monday commenced the review of South Sudan’s National Elections Act 2012 as mandated by the 2018 revitalized peace deal.
Speaking at the launch of the review, Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai, the chairman of the Revitalized Joint Monitoring Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) said the amendments to the National Elections Act will help in ensuring free and fair elections in the Republic of South Sudan.
“The amended National Elections Act will not only conform with the revitalized peace agreement, but it contains sufficient guarantees for the establishment of independent institutions and mechanisms to ensure the conduct and delivery of free and fair elections in the Republic of South Sudan,” he said.
On her part, the Deputy Speaker for the Council of States, Mary Ayen Majok Kiir, said the review of the document is key to the healthy conduct of the national elections in the country.
“This review and amendment will make this document conform to the revitalized peace agreement,” she said, adding. “I extend my appreciation to the NCAC for mobilizing both the experts and the relevant stakeholders regarding the review and amendment of this very important document that will govern the process of our national elections at the end of the transitional period.”
Meanwhile, NCAC Chairperson Gichira Kibara said the commission aims at coming up with the best provisions for the conduct of democratic, free and fair elections at the end of the extended transitional period.
It is very important that we all look at provisions of the law carefully so that we can have the best provisions to produce the best elections,” Kibara said.
For his part, Prof. Abednego Akok Kacuol, the chairperson of the National Elections Commission, said the law will give way to the formation of a reconstituted elections body.
“After the amendment of the Act, other issues which are very constitutional and very important with peace will follow,” Prof. Akok said. “Among them will be the need for reconstitution of the commission.”
The NCAC is a body mandated by the 2018 revitalized peace deal to review and amend critical laws to ensure reforms.
