South Sudan’s government has announced it is postponing long-delayed general elections until December 2026, citing a lack of preparedness.
This is the second time the country, which gained independence in 2011, is postponing elections and extending a transitional period that started in February 2020.
President Salva Kiir and his former rival turned deputy, Riek Machar, signed a peace agreement in 2018 that ended a five-year civil war that killed an estimated 400,000 people, triggered a famine, and led to a massive refugee crisis.
The president’s office announced in a statement saying the presidency, under the chairmanship of President Salva Kiir Mayardit, has announced an extension of the country’s transitional period by two years as well as postponing elections, which were initially scheduled for December 2024 to December 22nd, 2026.
The government said it needed more time to complete processes such as a census, the drafting of a permanent constitution, and the registration of political parties before an election could be held, according to the presidential adviser on national security, Tut Gatluak.
Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomuro said the extension followed recommendations from both electoral institutions and the security sector.
The country is going through an economic crisis that has seen civil servants go unpaid for almost one year after its oil exports were affected by a damaged pipeline amid the civil war in neighbouring Sudan through which it exports.
Andrea Mach Mabior, an independent political analyst, warned that any sham elections may result in a waste of resources and chaos.
A new security act that allows for warrantless detentions became law in August despite concerns from human rights groups that it would create a climate of fear in the run-up to the elections.