South Sudan’s preparations for the December 22 general elections remain behind schedule, with the National Elections Commission (NEC) delivering voter registration materials to Central Equatoria State on Monday, a civil society organisation said.
In its fifth pre-election observation report, released on Tuesday, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) said the distribution of registration materials to states and administrative areas had fallen behind the legally mandated timetable.
The materials were handed over to the Central Equatoria State Elections High Committee in Juba on Monday, November 2, in a step towards preparing for the country’s first general elections since independence in 2011.
State election officials and representatives of youth groups, women, civil society organisations and traditional leaders attended the handover and called for the registration process to be expedited, the report said.
CEPO urged the NEC and state election committees to work with political parties, civil society organisations and the media to provide accurate voter information and counter misinformation and disinformation.
It also called for voter education campaigns to reach women, young people and persons with disabilities.
The organisation warned that limited time for public awareness campaigns, linguistic diversity and high levels of illiteracy could undermine informed participation if electoral information was not disseminated effectively.
CEPO recommended that election authorities organise immediate orientation sessions for political parties, civil society groups and journalists, and provide them with official voter education materials.
South Sudan is scheduled to hold general elections on December 22, following repeated extensions of the transitional period established under the 2018 peace agreement.
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