The National Elections Commission (NEC) has declared
December 22, 2026, as the date for South Sudan’s general elections, while
urging the government to address legal and financial challenges affecting
preparations.
“The election will be conducted on 22nd December 2026, as
detailed in the National Election Commission Act of 2012, amended in 2023,”
said Prof. Abednego Akok Kachuol, NEC Chairperson, during a press conference on
Monday in Juba.
Akok said the commission still faces several challenges,
including gaps in the legal framework and limited resources needed to organize
the polls.
“There are many challenges facing the commission and we
strongly request the government to speed up amending the existing legal gaps
and to provide all basic needs within a short period to enable us to proceed
with our duties and responsibilities in the coming few months,” he stated.
Last month, proposed amendments to the 2018 Revitalized
Peace Agreement were presented in parliament.
The changes include separating key processes such as the
drafting of a permanent constitution and the national population census from
the peace agreement requirements.
Under the proposed framework, the NEC would be required to
hold elections 60 days before the end of the transitional period, in line with
the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan (2011, as
amended).
The amendments also propose reducing the time for publishing the voter register from six months to three months before elections.
However, the proposals, which have faced rejection from SPLM-IO lawmakers, have yet to be passed.
According to the NEC chairperson, the commission is
finalizing a realistic electoral timeline, which is expected to be released
before the end of June.
He noted that voter registration is projected to take less
than one month, after which the voter register will be published.
The NEC recently received an additional $6 million for civic
and voter education, bringing total election funding to about 6.4% of its $250
million budget for the December 2026 polls.
The commission also announced that $250,000 will be
distributed equally among South Sudan’s 10 states.
“I would like to declare right now that $250,000 will be
distributed to the 10 states. All will be equal. We will visit the
administrative areas within the coming few days,” he said.
The elections will be conducted using constituency
boundaries established during the 2010 general elections, with 102
constituencies across the country’s 10 states and three administrative areas.
The chairperson urged citizens to actively participate in
the democratic process.
“The public is to be informed that their sovereignty is to
vote during the election as the only way of getting into power,” he added.
The polls have been repeatedly postponed amid political, security, and logistical challenges, making the upcoming vote a key test of the country’s democratic transition.