By Matik Kueth
The Principal Electoral Officer of the United Nations Integrated Electoral Assistance Team in South Sudan (UNIEAT), Darren Nance, has cautioned that the 2026 general elections risk being postponed unless immediate legal and political decisions are taken.
Speaking during a workshop for journalists and civil society representatives on the electoral process in Juba on Tuesday, Nance emphasized the complexity and fragility of South Sudan’s electoral roadmap.
He called for immediate political action and stronger collaboration with the media outlets.
“Elections is not just an event. It is not just Election Day. It is not just voter registration. It is a complete process that starts with laying down the legal framework,” Nance said, underlining the extensive groundwork required to conduct credible elections.
At the core of the challenge is South Sudan’s stalled constitution-making process, a critical component that underpins the legal authority to hold elections.
The 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement stipulates that a permanent constitution must be in place prior to the elections.
However, Nance noted that the constitutional process, which was expected to take 18 months, has yet to begin, placing the December 2026 election date in jeopardy.
“There’s not an election management body in the world that would be able to operate under those planning conditions,” he emphasized.
The National Elections Commission (NEC) also faces significant hurdles related to voter registration, boundary delimitation, and the use of census data, each essential to ensure a fair and transparent electoral process.
The last population census was conducted in 2008, prior to the country’s independence, and is now considered obsolete. Despite this, the National Bureau of Statistics has yet to initiate a new census, which would take an estimated 16 months to complete.
“The law says that any population data to be used for electoral boundaries needs to be completed and ready one year before the election,” Nance stated, adding, “That would mean by December of this year, everything would have to be solved and done related to census.”
Although there are signs of progress, including the potential release of funding for pre-election activities, Nance made it clear that financial support alone is insufficient.
“The election commission also needs political clarity and political decisions. These are not decisions for the election commission. These are decisions that need to be taken by political leadership,” he stressed.
He warned that without proper instructions and legal authority, the commission is unable to execute its mandate, likening the process to asking millions to perform a task simultaneously without guidance.
“Whatever is on your websites, whatever is in your magazines, whatever is in your newspapers, impacts the understanding of the process to the millions of people who you represent,” he stated, highlighting the critical role of accurate and responsible reporting in combating misinformation.
With just over a year and a half remaining before the scheduled vote, the path to South Sudan’s first general elections remains fraught with political indecision, legal ambiguity, unresolved security arrangements, and logistical uncertainty.
“You cannot have Election Day of 2026 December and that be a hard line, but yet everything else continues to move to the right. At some point, there’s simply not enough time,” he stressed.
On May 8, 2025, President Salva Kiir received a comprehensive report from the Chairperson of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Prof. Abednego Akok, detailing the country’s preparedness for the upcoming elections.
According to Akok, NEC offices have already been constructed in six states and administrative areas, with others nearing completion.
On June 23, Akok met again with President Kiir and reiterated that general elections would proceed on 26 December 2026, as agreed upon by political parties.
He also noted that Kiir has directed the Ministry of Finance to release the necessary funds for the electoral process and instructed security agencies to ensure a safe and transparent democratic exercise.
However, questions remain about the feasibility of holding elections as scheduled. The National Constitutional Review Committee (NCRC) continues to face severe funding challenges, and its progress has stalled.