{"id":45476,"date":"2026-06-18T17:13:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:13:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=45476"},"modified":"2026-06-18T17:13:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:13:42","slug":"opinion-end-the-agreement-hold-free-and-fair-2026-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/18\/opinion-end-the-agreement-hold-free-and-fair-2026-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"OPINION: End the agreement, hold free and fair 2026 elections"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Engr. Maker Mangol Acien Yuol\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

South Sudan\u2019s revitalised transitional government of national unity is coming to an end on 26th June 2026. An agreement intended to stabilise the country has, after more than six years, failed to deliver accountable basic services or a durable peace. Open\u2011ended power\u2011sharing entrenches unaccountable leadership and raises the risk of renewed conflict. This piece calls for ending the current agreement, forming a caretaker government, and implementing a transparent, time\u2011bound roadmap to genuinely free and fair elections in 2026.<\/p>\n

The revitalised agreement was signed on 12 September 2018, and the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity was formed on 22 February 2020, on the promise of peace, development, and accountable governance, which until now remain unfulfilled.<\/p>\n

What began as a political compromise intended to stabilise the nation has become a framework that shields leaders from oversight, weakens institutions, and increases the risk of renewed conflict.<\/p>\n

Instead of strengthening the rule of law and restoring basic services, the current agreement has substituted political deals for individual accommodation in the government. Appointments and power sharing negotiated behind closed doors, without transparent checks and balances, have fostered impunity and eroded public trust. Citizens who expected security, schools, hospitals, water, and roads now face uncertainty and stagnation.<\/p>\n

Open\u2011ended transitional agreements are dangerous. They incentivise short\u2011term political survival over long\u2011term national rebuilding. Every year without a clear, time-bound path to elections deepens frustration and raises the likelihood that grievances will spill back into violence. South Sudan cannot afford further delay.<\/p>\n

We call for an immediate end to agreements that enable unaccountable leadership and for the establishment of a transparent, time\u2011bound roadmap to genuinely free and fair elections. Only credible elections can restore public trust, rebuild institutions, and chart a path toward lasting peace and development.<\/p>\n

A caretaker government must be formed to allow the independent Election Commission to carry out its duties and responsibilities, while giving space for all parties to contest positions. This will pave the way for citizens to vote for leaders from the grassroots to national seats.<\/p>\n

Delay is not neutrality; it is a risk. South Sudan needs a clear, time\u2011bound path to elections so citizens can choose leaders who will rebuild institutions and deliver services.<\/p>\n

South Sudan\u2019s future belongs to its people; a clear, time\u2011bound path to elections in 2026 is the first step toward restoring trust, rebuilding institutions, and securing lasting peace.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The author is a civil engineer by profession, and he is doing a Master of Science in geotechnical engineering at the University of Juba. He can be engaged through his Email: makermangolacien@gmail.com<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Disclaimer:<\/strong> Opinions published on our platforms do not represent our position, and authors are entirely responsible for them.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Engr. Maker Mangol Acien Yuol\u00a0 South Sudan\u2019s revitalised transitional government of national unity is coming to an end on 26th June 2026. An agreement intended to stabilise the country has, after more than six years, failed to deliver accountable basic services or a durable peace. Open\u2011ended power\u2011sharing entrenches unaccountable[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":45314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,90,80,79,87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columnists","category-commentary","category-national","category-news","category-oped"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/By-Engr.-Maker-Mangol-Acien-Yuol.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45476"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45476\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45477,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45476\/revisions\/45477"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}