With the 2026 elections approaching, the National Democratic Movement (NDM) has called on South Sudan’s political parties to commit to democracy as the only legitimate path to power, stating that credible elections are essential for the nation’s future.
The demand was a key item of a communique released Tuesday following the party’s Ninth National Leadership Council session.
The three-day summit, chaired by Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin and concluded on Monday, centered on tackling the nation’s pressing challenges through peace, unity, and democratic change.
“On democratic transformation, the Council reaffirmed that a credible, free, fair, and peaceful election at the end of the Transitional Period is the only pathway to ushering the country into a democratic era,” the statement seen by Standard Zone News affirmed.
“The council calls upon all the political parties to embrace democratic means as the sole tool for the exchange of power,” it added.
The NDM also urged the unity government to create the necessary conducive environment for a genuine democratic transformation to take place.
Beyond politics, the council voiced serious concern over the nation’s deteriorating economy. The party called on the relevant authorities to ‘take immediate steps to arrest the decline in the value of the pound and control the rising inflation.’
The statement also highlighted the human impact of the economic crisis, adding, “it is also necessary to create safety nets for the most vulnerable among our suffering people.”
In his closing remarks, NDM Chairman Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin acknowledged the significant obstacles facing the 2018 peace accord but reaffirmed his party’s commitment to its full implementation.
“He (Lam) pointed out that there are many challenges facing the implementation of the Peace Agreement, but the NDM is determined that R-ARCSS must be implemented in letter and spirit,” the communique noted.
Dr. Akol added that the NDM must strengthen its organization to become a party capable of championing critical and genuine reforms.
He cautioned that advocating for such change involves hardships and that members must be prepared to face any challenge in pursuit of that “noble objective.”
The National Democratic Movement (NDM) is one of the political parties’ signatories to the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
