Should South Sudan conducts it's elections in 2026 or extend the transitional period.

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:05][music] [music] [music] [music] >> Hello everyone. Welcome to the Concerned Podcast, a platform where we update, analyze, review, and weigh the temperatures of South Sudan politics, and unpack stories as they happen. I'm Emmanuel Taban, and if this is your first time watching a video on this channel, and you're someone who is passionate about politics in South Sudan and the region, then this is the right channel for you.

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[00:01:11]So, today in this video, I want us to tackle the biggest question that has been uh occupying the political atmosphere or the political environment in South Sudan.

[00:01:21]And that is a question regarding uh elections in South Sudan, whether South Sudan is ready or not to have an election conducted this year in 2026 as uh initially planned.

[00:01:31]So, we know that um so many people have different views when it comes to matters conducting elections in South Sudan.

[00:01:39]There people who subscribe to the school of thought that, you know, uh we have been extending this peace agreement for quite long, and the elections has been postponed for quite long. And they uh saying that it is high time the country conducted its election this year because, I mean, uh we have been postponing the election, and this school of thought is mainly people who are aligned to the government. You know, the government has been pushing for this. They said, you know, we've been extending the elections and the transitional government, but 2026 December will be the time when the country will have its first post-independence election.

[00:02:14]But also there's a school of of thought that subscribe to the belief that, you know, according to the peace agreement, there are requirements stipulated for the country to achieve before conducting an elections. And some of these requirements include achieving a permanent constitution, having population census, voter registration, forming some of the institutions.

[00:02:33]And they said up to now some of these major requirements are not yet achieved.

[00:02:37]They are incomplete. There is no permanent constitution, no population census conducted. And even given the security situation in the country, it is volatile and that it does not support elections be conducted. And they are saying that it is good for the government to come down and dialogue and I mean, look for ways on how this can be done better or maybe extend the election by a year or some months so that it provides room for preparations. So, in this video I want us to majorly look at this, but also ask um I'll go through some of uh the relevant information regarding the election preparation in South Sudan. And I'm just going to give you this for the context, you know.

[00:03:16]Um South Sudan is officially preparing for its first post-independence elections, currently scheduled for December 2026.

[00:03:25]But most observers, international partners, and regional organizations believe the country is not yet ready to have its election conducted this year.

[00:03:33]And the current election status is that uh South Sudan elections were originally planned for 2024, uh but were postponed by 2 years, which is to be scheduled this year for December. And the government said initially in 2024 they needed more time to actually meet some of the requirements of the peace agreement. and some of these requirements include drafting a permanent constitution, conducting population and housing censuses, and voter registration, and political party registration, and some security arrangements meeting this. So, these were some of the basis on which the 2024 election was postponed for 2026, that is by 2 years.

[00:04:11]And the transitional government that is led by President Salva Kiir and Vice President Machar um and Vice President Machar believe that uh the country is ready for its election.

[00:04:25]Uh but when we look at uh the signs across the country, you could easily see that there are no signs that indicates the country is ready for election. So, some of the preparations that are actually underway or that have been made is that uh South Sudan has established the National Electoral Commission, the Political Parties Council, and some technical elections bodies. However, the government uh uh international communities and observers believe that uh most of these institutions has been have been underfunded, they're politically constrained, and they're behind schedule. And the government recently announced commitment commitments to fund election activities, but funding shortages remain one of the biggest obstacles. Civil society groups warn that delays in releasing money are threatening preparations, and uh constitution-making processes when which is one of the key agreements required one of the key requirements in the agreement.

[00:05:21]Uh the African Union and the United Nation created a trilateral task force, which is supposed to uh support in constitution-making, in electoral planning, and now democratic reforms. And also, progress in this has been very slow, and many provisions of the peace agreement still remain incomplete.

[00:05:40]And when it comes to the security situation in the country, security still remain the biggest concern, where most parts of the country still volatile and unsafe for civilians and even for conduct of an election looking at states like Upper Nile, like Jonglei state and other regions has raised fear of renewed civil war. And armed classes involving groups linked to opposition factions and the arrest of opposition figures including the first vice president Machar who is still in detention and his colleagues the minister of petroleum Paul Kang Chol and other colleagues are still in detention.

[00:06:19]And there's still a continued instability which have actually been for many years and this is going to affect issues to do with the campaigning but also voting during the election time.

[00:06:30]And uh Uh of course the European Union recently warned that election cannot be credible under the current security conditions.

[00:06:39]And when it comes to issues to do with civic education and inclusion the United Nations and partners have begun voter awareness programs. There's in inclusion campaigns for persons with disabilities and local electoral training workshops. However, analysis public understanding of the electoral process remains limited especially in rural areas and we know that most parts of the country are still rural. They are not even connected.

[00:07:06]And uh the big question now remains are we ready to have an election done this year? It sounds like they're ready for an election. Uh many people would of course give their different uh views on that.

[00:07:21]And uh it's up to you because most of the things that we haven't achieved yet that could have actually paved the way for an election is that uh there's no national census completed yet. There's no updated voter registry.

[00:07:36]There's no permanent constitution which uh is still incomplete. The security instability in the country is still, I mean, very, very It's a major issue of concern.

[00:07:47]There is delayed funding for most of these institutions, including the National Electoral Commission, which is supposed to run the entire electoral process. And there's still uh weak institutions. Of course, the political mistrust between parties.

[00:08:01]Uh there's limited civic space and media freedom in the country. You know, there's no freedom of press in most uh parts of the country. People are not given the freedom to to do what they want. So, the European Union said uh that South Sudan 2026 that South Sudan is not on track for credible elections unless preparations begin immediately. The United States also warned earlier that the elections risk becoming a sham process if urgent reforms are not implemented. The Institute for Security Studies warned that South Sudan risk relapse into full scale of conflict if instability continues before elections.

[00:08:42]And the African Centre for Strategic Studies uh argued that the bigger question is not whether elections will happen, but whether they can be credible and citizen-driven. So, position of the regional and international bodies as well. The Africa Union uh supports holding election in 2026 and has reportedly opposed another extension of the transitional period.

[00:09:05]The Africa Union Peace and Security Council was in Juba on the 23rd of last month.

[00:09:10]And they were there on uh peace agreement implementation issues, security reforms, and electoral preparedness. So, they were led by the Ethiopian permanent representative to the African Union. And the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, IGAD, uh which mediated the 2018 peace agreement, they'll continue to push for peaceful implementation of the peace agreement, inclusive dialogue, and credible election. IGAD has emphasized that election must not trigger a new conflict, which is something that is likely to happen if it is not conducted in a proper manner. And the United Nations mission in South Sudan UNMISS, which actually its mandate got extended from last month on the 30th of April until next year, 30th of April 2027. Uh is as well supporting the country in technical election preparation. Uh they're doing civic training, they're doing peace monitoring, and conflict prevention as well in most parts of the country. The United Nations has repeatedly warned that incomplete peace agreement and rising violence threaten the electoral roadmap. And let's also hear what the civil society is saying.

[00:10:19]So, South Sudan civil society groups, such as the CEPO, have repeatedly warned that there is insufficient political will, preparations are too slow, and another postponement is possible. And many activists argue that election without reforms could worsen instability. While others say continued delays undermine democracy and legitimacy. So, there's a controversy within the civil society where others say that there is need for extension, but others as well say, you know, an extension of the peace agreement or the transitional government would be an undermining of democracy and legitimacy of the government.

[00:10:56]And the overall assessment of the entire electoral process of South Sudan is making some technical and political preparations for election, but the process faces major Positive signs are election date officially maintained, which is December 2026, even when there are so many issues to deal with fundings and other disagreements.

[00:11:16]The regional and international bodies supports exist, which they still argue that South Sudan should have its election conducted, which is something they agreed to.

[00:11:26]And there are also electoral bodies that established the national electoral commission established, though it's not yet been funded. And there are also some civic training that is has begun or that is going on in the country, which is a kind of positive. However, the major problems in the country is one, the issue of insecurity and armed violence that is happening in most parts of the country, especially in Akobo.

[00:11:47]In states like Jonglei, Unity, this is still a major issue of concern.

[00:11:52]And the delayed peace agreement implementation, the implementation has been very slow and delayed, which is the major issue of conduct of concern as well.

[00:12:00]There is funding shortages, especially for institutions like the electoral commission. There is weak democratic institutions that does not even uh signal any signs of democracy.

[00:12:10]There's lack of trust among political actors is the reason we're seeing right now the first vice president is in detention and his colleagues.

[00:12:17]And the constitution and voter registration is still incomplete, which are some of the basic requirements for an election to happen. So, at the moment, the broad international consensus is that South Sudan is not fully prepared for credible elections.

[00:12:31]Though, regional organizations still hope elections can happen if urgent reforms and preparation accelerate in the coming months. So, that is the context and that is the overview of how people and international bodies and regional bodies perceive the country having an election this year. So, that is basically what I intend to give you in this video, give you a broad-based um overview of the election election preparedness in South Sudan and what uh other people think about the country having an election. So, this is some of the reasons why so many people believe that the country is not ready yet for an election. Write down on the comment section what you think about it. But most importantly, write your answer on the comment section if you think South Sudan should have its election done this year or extended.

[00:13:16]If you are for an election, write yes.

[00:13:18]And if you're not for an election, write no. And let's see what you think about this situation in South Sudan. If you're okay with the country having an election then this year or you want it extend extended. Thank you so much guys. Until next time.

[00:13:32]I'm Emmanuel Taban and this is the Concerned Podcast.