South Sudan has postponed its first presidential and parliamentary elections from December 22, 2026, to February 11, 2027, as the country struggles with insecurity, political divisions and delays in preparing for the vote.
The National Elections Commission announced the revised date on Saturday, November 14, issuing a new electoral timetable on the day voter registration was scheduled to begin.
Commission spokeswoman Josephine Achiro Fortelo said the extension would allow additional time for electoral preparations, including the distribution of voter registration materials and civic education.
“We didn’t postpone the elections. We have just adjusted the time to allow other processes to be implemented and that is according to the law,” she said.
The revised timetable provides for voter registration from November 14 to 28 across 3,161 centres in the country’s 10 states and three administrative areas. More than 22,000 personnel have reportedly been recruited to support the exercise.
The postponement is the latest setback for South Sudan’s democratic transition. The country gained independence from Sudan in July 2011 but has never held a national election. The first polls, initially planned for 2022, were delayed to December 2024 and subsequently moved to December 2026.
South Sudan’s political transition has been shaped by the rivalry between President Salva Kiir and former First Vice President Riek Machar, whose forces fought a civil war that began in 2013 and killed an estimated 400,000 people.
The conflict formally ended with the signing of a peace agreement in 2018, which established a power-sharing arrangement and outlined reforms ahead of democratic elections. However, implementation has been repeatedly disrupted by political disagreements, insecurity and delays in establishing key institutions.
Tensions have escalated again, with Machar placed under house arrest in March 2025 and facing charges including crimes against humanity. Fighting involving government forces and opposition groups has also intensified in parts of the country.
Under the new timetable, campaigning is expected to begin on December 27 and run until February 9, ahead of voting on February 11. The electoral commission has not indicated whether further changes will be necessary.
For millions of South Sudanese, the latest postponement means another wait for an opportunity to elect their national leaders since independence.
