Election commission is late but we should give it benefit of doubt

It takes some time to prepare the country for national elections.

The National Election Commission (NEC) on 4^th November 2023 and yet it is remaining with very little time to prepare credible, free and fair elections in December 2024.

The political leaders in the transitional unity government are to blame for delays in reconstituting the election commission because all signs point to an election that could have the hallmarks of an election with serious shortcomings. This due to the dispute even in the reconstitution of the election commission because of some protests by some opposition parties.

 The second thing is that the time is limited for the NEC to conduct civic education and voter sensitization. South Sudan is a vast territory and some places are insecure or inaccessible.

This means the NEC led by Prof. Abednego Akok Kacuol has it’s work cut out and they will not have it easy to deliver a credible poll that will meet regional and international standards.

Some pessimists had called for the postponement of the elections but they have been dismissed because politicians are badly seeking popular legitimacy.

The consequences could turn out worse if the election is not credible.