South Sudan postpones first general elections to 11 February 2027, from 22 December

A new date for the first vote

South Sudan's electoral commission has moved the country's first general elections from 22 December 2026 to 11 February 2027, a delay of 51 days. The new calendar was announced on Saturday, 14 November, and shared on Facebook, with secretary general Ahon Malou Lueth authenticating the document. The commission gave no reasons for the postponement and did not say whether further legal steps are needed to formalise the new date. The vote would be the first general election since South Sudan became independent from Sudan in July 2011.

Calendar and key deadlines

Manual voter registration begins on 14 November, followed by publication of a provisional electoral roll that citizens can check. Candidate nominations run from December 2026 to January 2027, with the final candidate list expected on 18 January. The campaign covers 45 days, from 27 December to 9 February, and 10 February is set aside as a day of reflection before polling. The schedule was drawn up as a single timetable that also covers the period after the vote.

Counting, results and the transition clock

Counting and tabulation will take place at the level of states and administrative areas before results are consolidated nationally. Reports differ on when the final results will be announced: some give 15 February, while others give 17 February. The schedule also leaves time for resolving electoral disputes and for a possible second round. Polling on 11 February falls only 11 days before the planned end of the transition period on 22 February 2027, which leaves a narrow margin to settle disputes and move to democratically elected institutions.

Doubts over readiness

The electoral commission said equipment for its 3,161 registration centres had so far arrived only in the capitals of the ten states and the three administrative areas. Earlier, the UN Human Rights Commission in South Sudan had pointed in late October to the absence of a constitution, obstacles to voter registration and the dissolution of the national unity government, which it described as a "constitutional coup". The commission warned that, under those conditions, the vote could "trigger a war". Its warnings came against a backdrop of clashes that have continued for several months between groups loyal to the two rival leaders.

A fragile political backdrop

Riek Machar, the former vice president and main opponent of President Salva Kiir, has been under house arrest since March 2025 and is accused of crimes against humanity. The civil war between forces loyal to the two men, which ran from 2013 to 2018, left more than 400,000 people dead. A revitalised peace agreement signed in September 2018 set up the transition framework that is now due to end on 22 February 2027.

Official response

Josephine Achiro Fortelo, a commissioner and the commission's spokesperson, told Reuters that the calendar had been set after extensive consultation with stakeholders. Secretary general Ahon Malou Lueth also confirmed the change to AFP but offered no further detail on the reasons for the delay.