South Sudan to begin voter registration in November ahead of December elections

South Sudan National Elections Commission Chairperson Gabriel Bol Deng during a past event (PHOTO/https://www.facebook.com/National Elections Commission-NEC)

South Sudan will begin voter registration in early November 2026 ahead of the December 22, 2026, general elections, the National Elections Commission (NEC) has announced, as preparations intensify for the country’s first polls since independence.

NEC Chairperson Gabriel Bol Deng said the commission was ready to launch the exercise and register voters across the country, although funding shortages remain a challenge as the country prepares for the historic vote.

In a statement published on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, the commission said Bol briefed African Union (AU) officials on the state of election preparedness during a meeting at the organisation’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“Everything is set, we will launch it and move quickly to carry out the voter registration across the country,” Bol said.

The commission identified limited resources for civic and voter education, registration and logistical arrangements as the main challenges facing preparations.

However, Bol said the government had committed to providing the necessary funding to support the electoral process.

He added that government funding had enabled the commission to undertake several preparatory activities, including acquiring its headquarters, launching civic and voter education programmes and producing voter registration documents.

The African Union has pledged to support South Sudan as the country prepares for the December 2026 elections, with plans to deploy election experts to assist the commission.

Patience Zanelie Chiradza, Director of Governance and Conflict Prevention in the AU’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, said arrangements were under way to send experts to the country.

“We are working on logistical arrangements to send experts to help NEC, we want at least one expert to be based in Juba for a considerable amount of time to fully support the elections,” Chiradza said.

The AU also proposed establishing an election situation room where government institutions, civil society organisations and the media could monitor the polls and exchange information on the democratic process.

Chiradza said the organisation was ready to support training, civic education and voter education despite the limited time remaining before the elections.

“Given the little time that we have, we are ready to support trainings, civic and voter education,” she said, adding that the AU would approach other member states to seek additional assistance.

The commission has also received offers of support from Nigeria, while South Africa has provided some assistance in kind, according to Bol.

Statement on election preparedness by the National Elections Commission (PHOTO/Screengrab by PD Digital)

22,127 election workers recruited

Bol said the commission had recruited 22,127 workers who would be deployed to manage the December elections.

He also urged the African Union to provide additional support to help the country address outstanding financial and logistical requirements.

The AU, in turn, asked the commission to provide an election roadmap to guide efforts to mobilise more resources for the process.

The NEC chairperson also met Algeria’s ambassador to Ethiopia and permanent representative to the African Union, Mohamed Khaled, who said his country was ready to support the elections.

Khaled urged the commission to submit an urgent request outlining its priority needs so that Algeria could consider assistance within its capacity.

The planned December 22, 2026, elections are expected to mark a major milestone for South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but has yet to hold a general election.

The polls are scheduled to take place before the expiry of the transitional period established under the 2018 peace agreement, which sought to end the country’s civil war and guide its transition to democratic governance.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir during a past event (PHOTO/httpswww.facebook.com/Office of the President – Republic of South Sudan)

President Salva Kiir Mayardit dissolved the transitional government on September 22, three months before the scheduled elections, and established a caretaker administration to oversee government operations during the electoral period.

The country has also amended its election laws to allow the polls to proceed without waiting for the completion of a permanent constitution and a national population and housing census.

With voter registration expected to begin in November, the commission faces the task of completing preparations within a short period while addressing resource constraints and securing support for the electoral process.

Kenneth Mwenda

Kenneth Mwenda is a business, sports, and politics digital writer with over seven years of experience in journalism, covering breaking news, feature stories, and in-depth analysis across a range of beats. For inquiries, he can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Source: https://peopledaily.digital/inside-politics/south-sudan-to-begin-voter-registration-in-november-ahead-of-december-elections