South Sudan has postponed its long-awaited first general election since independence, moving the presidential and other polls from December to February 11, 2027, as security concerns, political divisions and logistical challenges continue to threaten the electoral process.
The National Elections Commission announced the new date on Saturday, the same day voter registration began across the country.
The election, initially scheduled for 2015, has been postponed several times, with authorities repeatedly extending the transitional period established after the country gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
Commission spokesperson, Josephine Achiro, said the adjustment was necessary to allow more time for essential electoral preparations, including the distribution of registration materials and civic education.
She, however, insisted that the postponement should not be interpreted as an attempt to abandon the election.
“The commission would like to take the opportunity to make it clear that the adjustment of the electoral timeline should not be misconstrued as a discussion to abandon or to call off the elections,” Achiro said.
The latest delay comes amid escalating violence, political tensions between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar, and concerns over the slow pace of voter registration.
Regional and international partners had previously expressed doubts about the country’s preparedness to conduct credible elections in December.
Machar, Kiir’s main political rival, has been under house arrest since March 2025 and faces charges including treason and murder, according to the supplied report.
The political rivalry between the two leaders previously plunged the country into a devastating civil war between 2013 and 2018, leaving more than 400,000 people dead.
A 2018 peace agreement established a unity government headed by Kiir, with Machar serving as his deputy. The arrangement was intended to implement key reforms and prepare the country for elections in 2022.
However, the polls were repeatedly delayed, while several provisions of the peace agreement remained unimplemented. Machar was subsequently suspended and charged in 2025.
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has warned that proceeding with an election without addressing the country’s political and security challenges could trigger widespread violence, particularly if the process is used to dismantle the 2018 peace agreement.
Chairperson of the National Elections Commission, Gabriel Bol Deng Majok, appealed to political leaders to reject violence and allow citizens to determine the country’s leadership through the ballot.
“If you want to be the leader that our citizens want, it will happen. But not through violence, not through bullets, only through ballot papers,” he said.
The United Nations has also repeatedly raised concerns about the humanitarian situation, including the displacement of tens of thousands of people and disruptions to international aid operations.
Logistical difficulties present another major obstacle. The World Bank estimates that about 90 per cent of South Sudan’s 15 million people lack state-recognised identification, complicating efforts to register eligible voters.
Authorities have established more than 3,100 voter registration centres nationwide. Although the registration exercise is expected to last two weeks, officials have acknowledged that some centres are still without the necessary equipment.
The latest postponement has therefore added another chapter to South Sudan’s prolonged transition, with the country’s ability to deliver credible elections now dependent on resolving security, political and administrative challenges.
