Voting in South Sudan is postponed by two years.
South Sudan's government has postponed national elections scheduled for December for two years. It is mentioned that this decision was taken due to lack of adequate preparation. With this, the national election was postponed for the second time in the country.
File Photo : Reuters
South Sudan's President Salve Kiir
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011. Then in 2013, the country fell under the grip of civil war. President Salv Kiir and his former rival (current deputy president) signed a peace accord in 2018. This ended the five-year civil war. About 4 lakh people lost their lives in that civil war. The civil war led to widespread famine and a refugee crisis in the country. An interim government took power in the country from 2020. Since then this government is extending its term by postponing elections.
President Salva Kiir's office announced the postponement of the election last Friday. It is said that the term of the country's interim government has been extended for two more years till December 22, 2026. Besides, the election to be held in December 2024 has also been postponed.
Tut Gatluak, the president's national security adviser, said the government needed more time for the census, the drafting of a permanent constitution and the process of registering political parties.
South Sudan is going through an economic crisis. Government officials of the country have not been getting salary for years. South Sudan's oil pipelines have been damaged by civil war in neighboring Sudan. The country exports gas through this pipeline.
Andre Mach Mabire, a political analyst, warned that a rigged election would be a waste of resources as well as chaos.