The Executive Director of Community Empowerment, Progress Organization Edmund Yakani said that 60% of political elites at decision-making posts are fearful of the expected December 2024 elections.
“CEPO recently was engaged in tracking influential political elites in influential posts in the national government statements made in public and in private spaces. The majority of the influential political leader’s statements made in private associated with elections are not pro- conduct of elections in timely manner. While the same political elites keep on making statements pro-conduct of elections in a timely manner in public spaces. This is a real dilemma around the creation of a conducive environment for the conduct of elections in a free, fair, credible, and peaceful manner,”
he added that some of fearful political leaders are too close to the decisions that contributed in dragging of feet for adequate financing of the peace agreement and delay permeant of some decisions like opening of civic and political spaces.
“It is true that the citizens want elections to be conducted in a free, fair, credible, and peaceful manner. Political leaders who sit at posts of decision-making for the creation of the conducive environment for conduct of the elections in a fair, free, credible, and peaceful manner are fearful of making those decisions timely,”
he revealed that CEPO urges the citizens to be proactive on matters of civic engagement and claiming unrestricted civic and political space for nurturing democracy and good governance through genuine conduct of elections as required by the provisions of R-ARCSS.