South Sudan Postpones First-Ever Elections to February

Sudanhorizon – Agencies
South Sudan’s Electoral Commission announced on Saturday that the country’s first-ever elections—originally scheduled for December 22—have been postponed to February 11 of next year. The delay comes amid widespread political and ethnic conflict. Voter registration is set to begin Saturday.

The commission published the new timeline on its Facebook page, setting February 11, 2027, as the date for the electoral process, with results to be announced on the 15th of the same month. The vote had previously been slated for December 22, 2026, following two prior postponements.
Ahon Malu Lueth, the commission’s secretary-general, confirmed the postponement without providing further details.
Hopes for holding the elections on schedule had been steadily fading. According to the commission—as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP)—the necessary equipment for voter registration had only reached centers located in the capitals of the ten federal states and three administrative areas, out of a total of 3,161 designated registration centers.
South Sudan gained independence in 2011 following its separation from Sudan. However, a civil war erupted in 2013, fueled by a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his deputy, Riek Machar. The conflict claimed approximately 400,000 lives and displaced four million people.

A 2018 peace agreement established a power-sharing arrangement between Kiir and Machar, with the former remaining as president and the latter as his deputy during a transitional period. This period was originally intended to conclude with elections in 2022, but the vote has since been postponed multiple times. Machar was detained in March 2025 and placed under house arrest, and fighting resumed between the army—loyal to Kiir—and militias loyal to the ousted vice president.
The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has repeatedly warned that the country is not prepared to hold elections. Last October, the Commission stated that certain political maneuvers—including firing the vice presidents and the absence of a constitution—amounted to a “constitutional coup,” noting that holding a vote “under such circumstances” risks “igniting a war.”

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