South Sudan Urged to Postpone ElectionsSeptember 5, 2017 - Citing the absence of sound legal frameworks, experts and civil society groups are urging South Sudan to delay conducting general elections early next year. The experts instead advised that a focus should be given to the implementation of the August 2015 peace deal to end over three years of civil war. The South Sudanese Network for Democracy and Elections (SSuNDE), a network of more than 70 civil society organizations, said the current situation in South Sudan makes it practically impossible to conduct credible elections within the remaining time frame of the peace deal, which is set to expire in March 2018. "In such an unsafe environment, it is evidently difficult for National Elections Commission, political parties, civic groups and electoral candidates to perform elections operations successfully," it added. The pact demanded amendment of the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan 2011, which will in turn pave way for the review of the Political Parties Act, 2012 and the National Elections Act, 2012, but all have not been completed.

Source: Ethiopian News September 05, 2017 21:22 UTC