Nov 25, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — South Sudan president Salva Kiir Mayardit is calling for an early election before July 2015.
The president convened political parties, civil societies and SPLM-Juba faction in the capital to consult their views on the IGAD-led Peace process, however, the president instead told the gathering that an election must be convened before July 2015.
Leaving many questions unanswered, the president reiterates that only election can resolve the one-year-old conflict of the newly independent state.
The president, who pledged in May that he “must always be the leader of that country”, believes that the legitimacy of any government must be driven from the citizens through a democratic process and therefore an election has to be done in less than seven months.
Salva Kiir in the past hinted that the election could be delayed for 2 to 3 years due to lack of resources, however, he was opposed by the region and the rebels that Salva Kiir does not have such capacity to decide over the election of the country.
The IGAD have proposed 30 months of transitional period, however, the UN Security Council hinted an alternative resolution.
Due to poor prospects for peace, the United Nations Security Council is considering placing South Sudan under UN Trusteeship for up to ten years.
To Salva Kiir, such an imposition is never an “African solution to an African problem”, although his chances of restoring peace through African mechanism are fading.
The president washes off his hands over the power sharing agreement, federal systems of governance and IGAD protocols that he signed in August and earlier this month.
In speech, Salva Kiir claims that his country is federal and any powers sharing deal must be moved to national parliament for approval and must be agreed upon by the people of South Sudan.
The president, although he once opposed, is pointing at the “independence” of the ten states as a clear indication of federalism in the country, despite the president removed nearly half of the elected ten governors before their term was due. Not a single by-election has been held as constituted in the constitution.
“But I don’t mean that you can decree federation that let us go federalism. You cannot do it. It is the choice of the people. And also somebody said it before here that the ten states we have are almost federal states. They have their own parliament, they have their constitution and they have everything that they have. What they may not have is the money; is what they don’t have.” Said Salva Kiir, the president.
“We accepted the position of a Prime Minister, but will be the one to decide according to the constitution. And if we come up with an agreement, we will make changes, because we did not have the position of a Prime Minister before.” Kiir added.
The government delegation to Addis Ababa peace talks is also rejecting the idea of parallel armies for the two factions in the country.
According to earlier document presented to IGAD by Dr. Riek Machar, the factions must retain their armies to ensure their securities within the country until confidence and trust is restored to integrate the two SPLA factions into one South Sudan army.
Thousands remain in IDPs and refugees camps across the country, including the capital, and beyond the borders as war continue, and new rebellions are suspected in other parts of the country.
The ruling party, SPLM, plugged the country into a brutal civil war, marked by massacres, war crimes and atrocities following a power struggle shadowed by what the politicians referred as “dictatorial tendencies” and “lost of vision” of the SPLM party.
The party failed to resolved its internal differences and to hold its national conventions and primaries to elect their 2015 party’s flag bearer(s), and prepare the country for the 2015 election.
Ten of thousands, civilians and soldiers, have been killed and nearly 2 millions people displaced to IDPs camps and other parts of the regions.
In other reports, delegates of SPLM-SPLA rebel factions are gathering for an intensive consultations in Pagaak of Upper Nile state. Delegates from Canada, Australia, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia have reportedly arrived at the venue. Military generals from other parts of the country and delegates from neighboring Sudan are expected to arrive in two to three days.
1 comment
The president of South Sudan is ”shaky minded” man, for he has been confused by the crooks around him after signing any agreements with the opposition. When do he thinks he could do things alone with just consultations but not decision making by others as, if he is not a president who should not depend on different persons?.