By Lodu William Odiya
President Salva Kiir Mayardit has reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that the planned 2026 general elections take place.
In a statement released by the presidential press unit yesterday, the head of state emphasized that the government will provide the necessary resources to support the electoral process.
The head of state underscored that maintaining momentum in preparations demonstrates that the government will avail resources.
“President Kiir emphasized the importance of maintaining momentum in the preparations and indicated that the government will avail the necessary resource and logistical support required for the successful conduct of the elections in December 2026” statement partly read.
This remark comes during a meeting with the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission, Professor Abednego Akok Kacoul to review ongoing preparations for the country’s general elections scheduled for December 2026.
According to the statement, Professor Akok during the meeting, provided an update on the Commission’s preparations, noting that plans are underway to announce the official election date in June.
He also outlined upcoming activities including the rollout of nationwide civic education and voter registration, which will be launched simultaneously given that the elections are now only eight months away.
The Chairperson explained that the elections would be conducted across 102 geographical constituencies across the 10 States and 3 Administrative Areas.
The discussion also addressed several operational considerations related to constituency demarcation and the practical steps required to ensure the electoral process proceeds smoothly.
Professor Akok expressed appreciation for the President’s engagement and guidance, describing it as an important source of encouragement for the Commission as it continues its work toward delivering credible and orderly elections for the people of South Sudan.
On Wednesday, a civil society activist and Executive Director for Community Empower for progress Organization (CEPO) warned that any mismanagement of the scheduled December 2026 elections will be a big grave mistake that will sustain the culture of military approaches for resolving political misunderstandings across the country” the report partly read.
CEPO emphasized that the three key fin clearly demonstrate that the country will not hold elections in December 2026 if the leadership of the country fails to invest funds for the election and immediately stops the tactics of waging expensive military confrontation and the act of fostering political splits among the party’s signatories to the 2018 peace agreement.
“South Sudan elections still have choices for possible holding if the political leadership demonstrate a serious commitment that will be described with adequate allocation of funds to the NEC and other election-related institutions” the statement continued.
The planned 2026 elections in South Sudan are expected to mark an important step in the country’s political transition.
Salva Kiir Mayardit has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to provide resources for the process.
Authorities say preparations are ongoing to ensure credible, peaceful, and transparent elections that will allow citizens to democratically choose their leaders.