07/10/2026
INTER-PARTY DIALOGUE ON ELECTIONS: OFFICIAL POSITION OF THE REGISTERED NON-SIGNATORY POLITICAL PARTIES ON THE "NATIONAL ELECTION SECURITY CODE OF CONDUCT 2026"
The National Election Security Code of Conduct, 2026 establishes important principles governing security operations during elections. Its provisions on political neutrality, human rights, proportional use of force, protection of candidates and voters, media freedom, electoral logistics, and command responsibility provide an important foundation for electoral security. However, these principles require stronger institutional safeguards and enforceable consequences to ensure impartial implementation.
The National Election Security Code of Conduct, 2026 should not be finalized as an isolated instrument. It must be aligned and harmonized with the Code of Conduct developed by political parties in 2023 so that the electoral process operates under a coherent framework governing both political conduct and electoral security. Political parties must conduct their activities peacefully and lawfully, while security institutions must protect those activities impartially, professionally, and without political interference.
The Code must also make unequivocally clear that registered political parties do not require NSS security clearance to exercise lawful political and constitutional rights. Where notification is required by law, it should facilitate legitimate security coordination and public safety; it should not confer upon the NSS or any other security institution the power to approve or reject lawful political activities.
Equally, the Code must establish consequences for violations.
Security personnel who intimidate voters, unlawfully obstruct political activities, interfere with electoral materials, misuse force, impose unauthorized security-clearance requirements, misuse state resources, or otherwise compromise electoral neutrality must face proportionate disciplinary or criminal consequences.
Accountability must extend to commanders and institutions where violations are ordered, tolerated, concealed, repeated, or systematically committed. No security officer, commander, unit, or institution should be above the Code.
The Registered Non-Signatory Parties therefore call for these revisions to be incorporated before final endorsement of the National Election Security Code of Conduct, 2026. Our participation in this Inter-Party Dialogue remains directed toward establishing clear, enforceable, constitutionally compliant, and politically neutral electoral security rules that protect every political party, candidate, voter, electoral official, journalist, observer, and citizen throughout the electoral process.
The registered non-signatory political parties refer to those nonviolent political parties that were not part of the signatories to the Revitalised Agreement on the resolution of conflict in South Sudan (R-ACRSS) mainly because they were formed after the signing of R-ACRSS. These comprise of National Patriotic Movement (NPM), People's United Forum (PUF), Revive South Sudan Party (RSSP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Sudan African National Union (SANU).
