South Sudan’s election timetable collides with stalled preparations
Registration has yet to begin for the 22 December vote, while funding, legal and security gaps cloud prospects for a credible and inclusive election.
South Sudan’s first general election since independence in 2011 is scheduled for 22 December 2026. But voter registration has not begun, and the country’s preparations face funding delays, unresolved legal questions and unfinished security reforms, Deutsche Welle reports.
President Salva Kiir dissolved the transitional unity government on 22 September and formed a caretaker administration. The move has sharpened political tensions as the election approaches. At a two-week Inter-Party Dialogue that concluded on 7 October, representatives of 39 parties agreed to follow the timetable.
Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomuro said delayed funding could affect voter education and election infrastructure. He also pointed to uncertainty over how the country’s three administrative areas are covered by the National Election Act, and said unified security forces had not been fully deployed.
The 2018 peace agreement established a power-sharing arrangement between Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar, but security reforms remain incomplete. Machar has been under house arrest since March 2025 and is absent from the political process. A Juba-based journalist quoted by DW said his absence was a major concern for meaningful dialogue and an election.
Analyst Wambui Njehu Nzigo told DW that active fighting and Machar’s exclusion raise questions about whether the vote would be a genuine competition. Displacement, flooding and food insecurity may also make it difficult for some people to register or reach polling stations.
South Sudan’s elections have been repeatedly postponed. The parties’ stated commitment to the December date does not resolve whether registration and other preparations can be completed in time, or whether displaced voters will be able to participate.
