Citizens root for federalism during consultation on constitution
Majority of South Sudanese have been confirmed to be in favour of adopting federalism in the upcoming permanent constitution.
This was revealed Thursday by Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) during consolidation workshop held in Juba on findings from community dialogues on permanent constitution-making process in the 10 states.
The consultations by CEPO were carried during the second quarter of this year.
The 2-day workshop funded by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, a German-based foundation that supports strengthening governance and democracy brought together Judges, lawyers, academia, lawmakers, civil society, women, and youth to fast-track findings on the constitution-making process, a key component of the 2018 peace deal.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of CEPO, said the demand for federal system of governance is one of the main issues raised during the consultation in the states.
“Today (Wednesday) we are sharing the outcome of the consultations in the ten states to consolidate the opinion of various stakeholders,” Yakani said.
James Francis Kutiyote, Undersecretary for the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs said the constitution-making process is a critical step in nation-building.
“This constitution-making process is one of the critical steps in the rebuilding of any country because it is the constitution that defines the sovereignty of a country,” Kutiyote said.
He emphasized the need for all citizens to be part and parcel of the permanent constitutional making process so that their views are captured to influence the permanent constitution.
Lavina Poni, Representative of Friedrich Ebert Foundation, said the views collected from the states will be tabled before the constitutional commission for consideration.
