{"id":48111,"date":"2026-09-22T15:17:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T13:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=48111"},"modified":"2026-09-22T15:17:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T13:17:22","slug":"president-kiir-swears-in-nec-chairperson-as-polls-draw-closer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/22\/president-kiir-swears-in-nec-chairperson-as-polls-draw-closer\/","title":{"rendered":"President Kiir swears in NEC Chairperson as polls draw closer"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lodu William Odiya<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

President Salva Kiir Mayardit has sworn in Gabriel Bol Deng Majok as the new Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), placing an experienced member of the Commission at its helm as the country prepares for the December 2026 elections.<\/p>\n

In a statement by the president\u2019s press unit, during the swearing-in ceremony, President Kiir paid tribute to the outgoing NEC Chairperson, Professor Abednego Akok Kacuol, thanking him for his years of service to the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cProf. Abednego Akok was a very good friend to me, and we worked together in the service of our nation. I thank him for his dedicated service to the people of South Sudan and wish him well,\u201d President Kiir said.<\/p>\n

The President of the Republic urged the new Chairperson to build on the work already undertaken by the Commission and strengthen preparations for elections that are free, fair, and credible.<\/p>\n

He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing the support necessary for the NEC to carry out its constitutional mandate.<\/p>\n

For the past one year and eleven months, Gabriel Bol Deng Majok has served as Secretary-General of the National Elections Commission, working closely with the Commission\u2019s leadership and commissioners on the ongoing electoral preparations. In that capacity, he has been directly involved in the Commission\u2019s administrative and operational work, including electoral infrastructure, civic and voter education, and coordination with state electoral authorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving also served the country in different capacities in public service, his experience, professionalism, and knowledge of the Commission\u2019s ongoing work provide continuity as the electoral process enters an important stage,” the statement continued.<\/p>\n

According to the press unit, his appointment elevates an official who is already familiar with the Commission\u2019s structures, responsibilities, and preparations for the elections.<\/p>\n

The appointment was also welcomed by his fellow commissioners, who celebrated his elevation and expressed their support for the new chairperson. They thanked His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit for appointing a leader from within the Commission at a time when teamwork, institutional continuity, and collective leadership are important as preparations move forward.<\/p>\n

In his remarks, Gabriel Bol Deng Majok pledged to lead the National Elections Commission with independence, impartiality, transparency, professionalism, and integrity.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder my leadership, the National Elections Commission will discharge its mandate with independence, impartiality, transparency, professionalism, and integrity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The new NEC Chairperson said the Commission would work toward an inclusive, peaceful, and credible electoral process in which every eligible South Sudanese has an opportunity to participate regardless of geography, gender, disability, social status, or political affiliation.<\/p>\n

He also pledged to work closely with his fellow commissioners and strengthen engagement with political parties, civil society, communities, and other electoral stakeholders as preparations advance.<\/p>\n

The leadership transition comes as the NEC continues its preparations for the December elections, including preparations for voter registration, civic and voter education, training of electoral officials, and strengthening its structures across the country.<\/p>\n

President Kiir reaffirmed that the government will continue supporting the independent work of the National Elections Commission as it carries out its mandate and prepares the people of South Sudan to exercise their democratic rights through elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lodu William Odiya President Salva Kiir Mayardit has sworn in Gabriel Bol Deng Majok as the new Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), placing an experienced member of the Commission at its helm as the country prepares for the December 2026 elections. In a statement by the president\u2019s[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":48112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-news","category-politics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/President-Salva-Kiir-Mayardit-during-the-swearing-in-ceremony-photo-PPU.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48111","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=48111"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48113,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48111\/revisions\/48113"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}