By Yang Ater Yang
The Lakes State High Elections Committee has trained 16 county returning officers ahead of South Sudan’s planned December general elections.
The training was conducted over the weekend in collaboration with the National Elections Commission (NEC) and the state government.
At least 34 participants attended, including government officials, election committee representatives, civil society members, and journalists.
The training focused on equipping county returning officers with the knowledge and skills required to oversee voter registration.
Prof. Kot Kuocnin Kuer, chairperson of the State High Elections Committee in Lakes State, urged participants to prepare seriously for their responsibilities.
He encouraged the officers to demonstrate professionalism, transparency, and independence throughout the electoral process.
“We are here as supervisors. We will later go to the counties to see how things are progressing,” Kuer said.
He recalled his experience during the 2010 general elections, saying preparations were rushed following prolonged disagreements.
Kuer urged participants to take advantage of the training and demonstrate their competence when deployed to their respective counties.
“You have to equip yourself here so that everyone knows you are a person who is trained and qualified to do the work,” he said.
He also warned election officials against personal relationships that could compromise their responsibilities or damage the reputation of the electoral commission.
Kuer described the upcoming elections as an important historical responsibility for those involved in organising the process.
He said their work would contribute to shaping the conduct of South Sudan’s first general elections since independence.
Meanwhile, Abraham Gop Achien, a member of the State High Elections Committee and facilitator, said the training targeted 16 returning officers and their assistants.
He explained that the officers would subsequently train 1,890 voter registration personnel across the state.
“Today, we are training 16 returning officers and their assistants, covering the eight counties of Lakes State,” Achien said.
He said the next phase would involve training voter registration staff at designated registration centres.
According to Achien, Lakes State has 270 voter registration centres, each expected to have seven personnel.
“This gives us a total of 1,890 staff members who will be trained within this short period,” he said.
Civil society representative Daniel Laat Kon, chairperson of the Civil Society Organisations Network (CISON) in Lakes State, urged participants to take the training seriously.
He described election officials as custodians of the people’s voices and emphasised their responsibility to protect the credibility of the electoral process.
Kon said impartiality, transparency, and professionalism were essential for conducting free, fair, and credible elections.
“For us to have free, fair, and credible elections in South Sudan, we must adhere to the principles of impartiality, transparency, and professionalism,” he said.
He cautioned election officers against engaging in activities that could undermine public confidence in the National Elections Commission.
Kon further urged officials to remain accountable and conduct voter registration without discrimination or political interference.
The training comes as electoral preparations continue in Lakes State, with returning officers expected to coordinate voter registration activities across the state’s eight counties.