South Sudan President Salva Kiir and Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in past picture | Credit | The Insider

The President of Ugandan has reiterated calls for elections as the solution to ending years of political instability in South Sudan.

Yoweri Museveni says such elections after the interim period will give South Sudanese the chance to elect their leaders and end political entitlements.

Observers say the country’s elites have been fighting for control of resources and power since South Sudan got independence in 2011.

The country was engulfed in a politically instigated violence in 2013 and 2016, resulting in the loss of lives and displacement of millions of people.

Currently, the parties are implementing the agreement on the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan that was signed in September 2018.

Speaking during a virtual meeting of the IGAD Heads of State summit on Tuesday, the Ugandan President said free and fair elections are the ultimate cure for politically motivated instability in South Sudan.

“I congratulate stakeholders on upholding the revitalized peace agreement of South Sudan,” Museveni stated.

He encouraged the parties to work quickly through the transition period by planning and holding the general elections slated for 2022.

‘I encourage them to work quickly through this transition period, plan and hold free and fair elections as the ultimate cure for politically motivated instability by promoting accountability among leaders,” Museveni added.

He stressed that this is the only way to promote accountability among leaders.

But before that, the agreement demands that the reconstituted National Constitutional Amendment Committee reviews the Political Parties Act, 2012, and ensure that the Act complies with international best practices for the free and democratic registration of Political Parties in South Sudan.

It shall then present a draft Bill to the National Legislative Assembly for adoption.

The Act shall permit the open registration of Parties.

The agreement also says the National Elections Act, 2012 shall be amended during the Transitional Period.

After that, the President, in consultation with the Parties to the peace deal and with the approval of the parliament, shall reconstitute a competent and impartial National Elections Commission to conduct elections.

The agreement states that elections shall be organized sixty days before the end of the Transitional Period.

Such elections shall be organized per the provisions of the Permanent Constitution, and shall reflect the will of South Sudanese voters.

However, there are no indications that the National Elections Act has been amended or known reports on the reconstitution of the Elections Commission.

Last week, President Salva Kiir acknowledged that peace implementation remains painfully slow and far behind public expectations.

He called on the parties to pick up the pace to resolve the pending issues in the spirit of give-and-take.

The parties are yet to complete significant pre-transitional issues such as; the unification and deployment of unified forces, demilitarizing major towns, reviewing various security acts, among others.

They are yet to reconstitute the national parliament, appoint the remaining governors of Jonglei and Upper Nile states, including state cabinets.