A leading civil society activist who also doubles as the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), Edmund Yakani, on Wednesday met President Salva Kiir in a move to push preparations for the elections slated for December 2024.
Yakani, one of the activists who signed the 2018 revitalized peace agreement on behalf of civil society, said he urged the president to ensure that the funding for the preparations for the polls was sufficient.
“Today (Wednesday) I had an opportunity to meet with his President Salva Kiir, this is in line with our declared advocacy to engage the principals of the parties to the agreement. Our discussion with the president focused on the preparations for the elections in December 2024,” he said. “I delivered to the president key messages; adequate financing of the recently reconstituted political institutions (the National Elections Commission (NEC), National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC), and Political Parties Council).”
Yakani added: “I also demanded for timely allocation of resources to demonstrate a national ownership of the political transitional processes which is ending by the conduct of elections in December 2024.”
The activist said he asked Kiir to support the quick completion of the unification of forces, to open political and civic space, and to allow political parties to have a dialogue among themselves.
According to Yakani, the president agreed not to postpone the elections.
“We reached a consensus on these particular issues and we agreed that elections must be conducted without any delay or postponement,” he revealed. “In the remaining time, the political parties and the leadership of the country need to demonstrate commitment towards creating a conducive environment for the conduct of elections.”
The CEPO boss said he will have a similar meeting with the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and other vice presidents.
“We agreed that the preconditions from now should be taken up seriously and there will be no more extension of the transitional period because we are tired of the transitional periods,” Yakani concluded.