UN envoy says South Sudan is not ready to hold its first post-independence elections in December

Associated Press

The U.N. envoy for South Sudan says the troubled African country is not ready to hold its first post-independence elections in December and political players are discussing whether voting should be held this year. Nicolas Haysom told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that the political consultations mean the election date of Dec. 22 announced last month by the National Elections Commission can’t be seen “as a definitive trigger in isolation from other critical factors.” The vote would be the first since South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after a long conflict.