The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) in South Sudan Nicholas Haysom has called on the parties in the Revitalized Transitional National Legislative Assembly (RTNLA) to resolve the current political differences and pass the Constitution Making Process Bill. 

The UN chief made the remarks during a press conference held at the UNMISS compound in Juba on Thursday.

"We've witnessed renewed legislative activity and debate. We do, however, note with concern the current impasse in parliament and stalled deliberations. I encourage the parties concerned to resolve the outstanding issues and allow the resumption of full parliamentary debates in the advancement of key legislation, including the Political Parties Bill, which importantly will allow for political parties to be registered," he said.

Haysom said, "First, I'd like to encourage the legislature to resume its sittings and to pass the Constitution Making Process Bill. This will govern the drafting of South Sudan’s permanent constitution and is critical for tackling the root causes of the protracted crisis in South Sudan by addressing issues of governance as well as federal power and revenue sharing."

Haysom also called on all the parties to the agreement to work together to fully implement the pending tasks in the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

"My main concern is that the end of the transitional period is fast approaching yet progress in implementing the peace agreement has been very slow. With only 8 months remaining, they wouldn't have the opportunity to implement the key benchmarks. I would like to acknowledge the progress where it has happened, and this includes the formation of reconstituted transitional legislatures at the national and state levels. All speakers have been sworn in and heads of all specialized committees appointed," UNMIS Chief added.

The UN boss still hopes that elections can still be possible in South Sudan if the parties to the agreement agree to work together to expedite the process. 

"There is still the possibility if the parties were to work together to create first the technical conditions which are required for an election and in other words to agree on the laws and if there was a common purpose and a common will that could be done relatively and expeditiously. If on the other hand there is no common will, it is going more and more difficult to meet the finishing line on time," he stated.

The UNMISS chief also urged the parties to review South Sudan's National Elections Act 2012, and form technical electoral institutions. 

He says there is urgency for elections to take place and suggested that parties to the agreement should announce formal elections. 

Mr. Haysom argues that if elections for 2023 are postponed, it will require an amendment to the 201 peace agreement.