{"id":48176,"date":"2026-09-23T15:16:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T13:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=48176"},"modified":"2026-09-23T15:22:58","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T13:22:58","slug":"2026-election-preparations-in-high-gear-as-nec-unveils-voter-registration-forms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/23\/2026-election-preparations-in-high-gear-as-nec-unveils-voter-registration-forms\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 election preparations in high gear as NEC unveils voter registration forms"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Yiep Joseph<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The National Election Commission (NEC) has approved the voter registration form ahead of the December 22 general elections.<\/p>\n

NEC Chairperson Gabriel Bol Deng announced the approval during a press briefing in Juba on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe board approved the voter registration form, fulfilling a key legal and administrative requirement and confirming the commission\u2019s readiness to conduct voter registration,” Deng said.<\/p>\n

He said the decision allows the commission to prepare for the upcoming elections.<\/p>\n

The NEC also approved new implementing regulations governing key aspects of the electoral process.<\/p>\n

The approvals follow recent amendments to the National Elections Act, 2012, passed by Parliament.<\/p>\n

President Salva Kiir Mayardit subsequently assented to the amended legislation, clearing the way for implementation.<\/p>\n

The commission is now preparing for the voter registration exercise expected to precede the December polls.<\/p>\n

The NEC previously said voter registration would be conducted manually, in person, and using paper forms. Information collected during registration will later be entered into the commission\u2019s computer systems.<\/p>\n

The original registration books will reportedly be preserved as official records for electoral verification; however, as of September 22, the NEC said voter registration had not yet officially started.<\/p>\n

The commission warned against unofficial reports claiming that registration had already begun in some areas.<\/p>\n

It said registration dates and locations would be announced through official NEC communication channels.<\/p>\n

The commission has also been training officials responsible for managing voter registration across the country.<\/p>\n

State High Elections Committees and Administrative Area representatives have received training on registration procedures.<\/p>\n

The training also covered electoral laws and responsibilities during the registration exercise.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the NEC has undergone a leadership transition ahead of the scheduled elections.<\/p>\n

Bol Deng moved from secretary general to chairperson following his appointment to lead the commission.<\/p>\n

Ahon Malou Lueth was appointed acting secretary general to maintain administrative and operational continuity.<\/p>\n

Bol Deng said the leadership change would not disrupt preparations for the elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreparations are advancing, institutions are functioning, and the elections remain firmly on course,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The commission has promised regular media briefings to keep citizens informed about electoral preparations.<\/p>\n

It has also urged political parties and civil society groups to support the electoral process.<\/p>\n

Faith-based organisations, development partners, and citizens were similarly encouraged to participate constructively.<\/p>\n

The December election is expected to be a major test for South Sudan\u2019s political transition.<\/p>\n

The country gained independence in 2011 but has yet to hold a general election since independence.<\/p>\n

Previous elections have been repeatedly postponed during successive transitional arrangements and political negotiations.<\/p>\n

The current transitional period has also faced delays in implementing several provisions of the peace agreement.<\/p>\n

With December 22 approaching, voter registration remains a crucial stage in preparations for polling.<\/p>\n

The NEC must also address logistics, voter education, staffing, and other operational requirements before election day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Yiep Joseph The National Election Commission (NEC) has approved the voter registration form ahead of the December 22 general elections. NEC Chairperson Gabriel Bol Deng announced the approval during a press briefing in Juba on Tuesday. \u201cThe board approved the voter registration form, fulfilling a key legal and administrative[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":48177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,79,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48176","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\/NEC-clears-voter-Registration-Forms-.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48176","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=48176"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48181,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48176\/revisions\/48181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}