By Alan Clement
Lawmakers and peace monitors have sharply criticized the continued decline in women’s political representation, warning that the 35% quota preserved in the peace agreement is being violated across governance structures.
During the 14th ordinary sitting of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, the chairperson of the Standing Specialized committee on Peace and Reconciliation, Bona Deng Lawrence, presented R-JMEC’s reports on the status of the implementation of the peace agreement.
The R-JMEC reports for both July–September and October–December 2024 highlighted persistent violations of the 35% requirement. The National Elections Commission reconstituted State High Committees without female members, and only three of the 15 newly registered political parties are women-led.
The reports reiterated that political parties must uphold the minimum threshold of 35% women’s representation, particularly when replacing female incumbents and echoed appeals from women and youth groups for greater participation in decision-making, alongside the urgent passage of the Women and Youth Empowerment Bill and the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Bill.
According to the report read in parliament, the Political Parties Council (PPC) pledged to prioritize 35% affirmative action for women and other special groups in political parties as part of its mandate, while women leaders pressed lawmakers to expedite pending gender-related bills.
During parliamentary deliberations, David Yien Bilieth, who represents Uror County, raised serious concerns over the lack of implementation of the 35% affirmative action for women’s representation despite being a cornerstone of the peace agreement.
“None of the 10 states or 3 Administrative Areas are led by women, and only two out of 79 counties have female commissioners. Even down at the municipal councils, there is no woman. You think they are not educated?” Bilieth quizzed, stressing that women are equally educated and capable, and their exclusion is unjustified, yet it is their right.
Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba acknowledged the decline, stating that women’s representation has dropped from an initial 34% to below the 35% threshold. She urged parties to honour their obligations during nominations.
“I returned nominations that fail to meet gender balance in parliamentary leadership roles in exercise of my powers,” she explained.
Despite repeated commitments, lawmakers warned that women remain sidelined in political appointments, undermining both the letter and spirit of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
In August this year, a civil society activist had threatened legal actions against the government if it failed to meet the constitutional requirement for a minimum of 35% women’s representation in leadership positions within three months.
Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), said that failure is a “constitutional violation”.