By Sabri Dibaco
The National Civil Society Coalition has called for clarification over the dismissal of the reconstituted National Elections Commission (NEC) Chairperson by President Salva Kiir, questioning whether the removal followed procedures set out in the National Elections Act.
In a press statement released, Coalition Chairperson Bol Deng Bol said the decision was concerning because it came only about three months before the planned general elections, at a time when the electoral commission is already facing challenges in preparing for the polls.
“We understand that the commission is undergoing many challenges pertaining to this particular mandate of organising a free and fair, peaceful, credible, and transparent general election,” Bol said.
He said the coalition’s main concern was the absence of a publicly stated reason for the chairperson’s removal.
“Our key concern, nonetheless, is the fact that the dismissal, as reported, did not state any justification, nor does the procedure appear to have been followed as per the National Elections Act 2012, amended 2023,” he said.
Bol said the amended elections law provides grounds under which members of the electoral commission can be removed from office.
According to him, the grounds include failure to attend five consecutive commission meetings, proven partiality, incompetence resulting from mental infirmity or physical incapacity, and gross misconduct.
“None of these grounds has been disclosed in the decision. So, on what account was the dismissal justified?” Bol asked.
The coalition is now demanding clarification on whether the legal and institutional procedures were followed before the NEC chairperson was removed.
Bol questioned whether members of the electoral commission had passed a resolution concerning the chairperson and whether such a resolution was submitted to the president.
“The public therefore deserves to know if there was a resolution emanating from the NEC members and submitted to the president to justify the removal,” he said.
He also called for information on whether other consultations and approvals required under the electoral framework were conducted before the decision was taken.
The statement comes as South Sudan prepares for planned general elections, with the NEC expected to oversee key electoral preparations.
The coalition said uncertainty surrounding the leadership of the electoral body could raise questions among the public about the continuity of the electoral process.
However, the coalition’s concerns focus on transparency and the procedure used to remove the chairperson rather than making a conclusion on the legality of the decision.
Bol said civil society organisations would continue monitoring developments involving the electoral commission and the wider electoral process.
“The procedures were not seen to have been followed, and we demand access to what actually happened,” he said.