The SPLM, South Sudan’s governing party, on Friday called on the National Elections Commission (NEC) to formally declare the country’s electoral constituencies by next week, a move it called critical for holding national elections next year.
The request from the ruling party marks a concrete step toward polls that have been repeatedly delayed since the end of a civil war that began in 2013. The push comes despite incomplete implementation of the 2018 peace deal that ended the conflict.
SPLM Secretary-General Akol Paul Kordit said the party’s leadership has made a firm political decision to proceed with elections, even with parts of the 2018 peace agreement unfinished.
“The decision to conduct elections is a political decision,” Kordit said in Juba during the swearing-in ceremony of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state Governor Charles Dut as the new SPLM leader in the state. “Even though some parts of the peace agreement are not yet fully implemented, the leadership has resolved that South Sudan must move forward through elections.”
Kordit emphasized the Dec. 22, 2025, deadline for the election commission to finalize and announce the constituencies, calling it a necessary administrative and legal step.
“We are going to defend the date 22 December to commit ourselves to elections,” he said. “By 22 December 2025 the National Election Commission should announce the constituencies.”
The push aligns with the National Elections Act, which requires the demarcation of constituencies to be announced at least 12 months before elections, setting a legal foundation for the deadline ahead of polls slated for December 2026.
Kuong Danhier Gatluak, the SPLM’s first deputy secretary-general for political affairs, said during the ceremony that “South Sudan is heading to elections, and there is no turning back.”
The move follows Wednesday’s approval by South Sudan’s presidency of amendments to the 2018 peace agreement, removing provisions that had linked elections to the completion of a permanent constitution — a process still unfinished seven years after the deal was signed.
Under the changes, national elections will be conducted under the Transitional Constitution of 2011, as amended, rather than a new permanent charter.
The amendments have drawn criticism from the main opposition group, the SPLM-IO, led by suspended First Vice President Riek Machar.
The revitalized transitional government, formed under the 2018 agreement, has faced persistent challenges in implementing key provisions, including unifying armed forces, drafting a permanent constitution, conducting a population census and preparing for elections.