Deputy Speaker: South Sudan Not Ready For Election

The Deputy Speaker of South Sudan’s Transitional Parliament says the country is not prepared to hold free, fair, and credible elections this year. Nathaniel Oyet Pierrino, who is also Deputy Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO), led by First Vice President Riek Machar, says this is due to intransigence and lack of political will by the current transitional government led by President Salva Kiir. His comments come as President Kiir this week rejected any extension of the transitional period, saying elections should take place this year as scheduled. Pierrino tells VOA’s James Butty, having elections now would be a recipe for violence because the country is far behind implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement.