By Hon. Mogga Charles Guya

The growing concerns surrounding the Political Parties Council (PPC) and its handling of leadership disputes within political parties raise serious questions about institutional integrity, professionalism and the credibility of South Sudan’s democratic institutions.

The reported swapping and alteration of party chairpersons’ positions involving the South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC), the Federal Democratic Party (FDP) and the National Democratic Movement (NDM) present an important test of the Council’s mandate, impartiality and commitment to democratic principles.

A political party’s leadership is not a commodity to be exchanged, negotiated or determined through informal brokerage. Leadership legitimacy must emerge from the party’s constitution, established internal democratic procedures and the will of its legitimate members.

The PPC, as an institution entrusted with regulating and overseeing political parties, must demonstrate neutrality, transparency, procedural fairness and accountability. Its responsibility should be to safeguard the integrity of political institutions, not create uncertainty or appear to facilitate leadership arrangements outside the established constitutional frameworks of political parties.

The concerns surrounding the reported interference in USAP’s leadership arrangements, including the subsequent revocation, also raise questions about consistency in the application of institutional procedures. If similar controversies continue to emerge across different political parties, South Sudan must seriously examine the institutional safeguards governing political party registration, leadership recognition and dispute resolution.

Are we building a democratic political system founded on leadership integrity, or are we gradually normalising leadership brokerage within our political institutions?

This is not simply a disagreement between political personalities or competing party interests. It is a fundamental question about the standards by which democratic institutions should operate.

South Sudan’s democratic future cannot be built on administrative uncertainty, questionable leadership recognition or decisions that lack transparent and verifiable legal foundations. Political parties must enjoy institutional independence, while the regulatory bodies responsible for overseeing them must remain accountable to the law.

We therefore call for:

1.⁠ ⁠Transparency: Clear explanations of the legal and procedural basis for any changes or recognition of political party leadership.
2.⁠ ⁠Institutional accountability: An impartial review of contested leadership alterations involving SSNMC, FDP and NDM.
3.⁠ ⁠Respect for party constitutions: Recognition of leadership emerging from legitimate party structures and constitutional procedures.
4.⁠ ⁠Consistency and fairness: Equal application of the law to all registered political parties, without selective treatment.
5.⁠ ⁠Credible dispute resolution: An established mechanism through which political parties can challenge administrative decisions and obtain impartial remedies.

The credibility of the PPC must be measured not by the number of leadership disputes it handles, but by the fairness, legality and transparency of the processes through which those disputes are resolved.

South Sudan needs institutions that build confidence, protect political pluralism and strengthen democratic participation. The country cannot afford to normalise practices that undermine public confidence in the very institutions entrusted with protecting democracy.

Leadership is earned through legitimate political processes, not brokerage. Institutional authority derives its legitimacy from the law, not administrative discretion.

The question before us is bigger than SSNMC, FDP, NDM or USAP. It concerns the future of multiparty democracy, constitutionalism and institutional credibility in the Republic of South Sudan.

Democracy must be protected by institutions that respect the law, not institutions that leave the law open to questions.

Hon. Mogga Charles Guya
Secretary for Foreign Affairs
South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC)
Juba, South Sudan