Lawmakers in South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal State are divided over whether the country is prepared to hold its first post-independence general elections, following a recent announcement by the National Elections Commission setting the vote for December 2026.
A growing rift has emerged between the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and sections of the opposition over whether the country has met the legal and security benchmarks required to ensure a credible transition.
Angok Achuol Barjok, an SPLM lawmaker representing Aweil North County, said further delays would only prolong South Sudan’s economic and political instability.
“There is no way out. The only solution is to go for elections so that the current situation we are in is changed, including an oversized government and lack of payments,” Achuol told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday.
He dismissed concerns over potential violence, citing the 2010 elections as evidence that difficult polls can be managed. “Why does the opposition reject the upcoming elections when they are part of the government?” he asked.
However, opposition lawmakers say rushing to the polls without implementing the 2018 peace agreement would be disastrous. Garang Machar, an MP from the SPLM-IO, rejected the current timeline, citing the absence of a national census and a permanent constitution.
Machar also questioned the legitimacy of the current electoral map. “We are questioning the establishment of geographical constituencies. These were introduced when we were part of the Republic of Sudan,” he said. “The country’s population is not clear. A nationwide census must be conducted, the constitution reviewed, and security arrangements implemented.”
Public dissatisfaction
Smaller political parties have echoed calls for change, though for different reasons. Garang Kuol Mabior of the Other Political Parties (OPP) defended the need for elections, describing the current administration as a failure.
“The current governments at the state and national levels are not providing the needed services,” Mabior said. “It is the right of every citizen to choose leaders of their choice.”
Civil society leaders, however, warn that ordinary citizens remain largely uninformed. Wek Garang, executive director of the Peace Culture Association, cited a lack of political will and public education.
“There is no indication that people are ready,” he said. “Massive awareness has not been done at the grassroots level so that citizens are informed about where they are heading.”
South Sudan’s presidency and cabinet have recently introduced controversial legal amendments to the 2018 peace agreement aimed at decoupling national elections from long-delayed benchmarks such as a national census and a permanent constitution.
The move, approved by President Salva Kiir and his allies last month, seeks to clear a legal path for the country’s first-ever general elections, now scheduled for Dec. 22, 2026.
Riek Machar’s SPLM-IO has declared the presidency’s resolutions “non-binding” and “illegitimate,” saying the meeting that approved the changes lacked inclusivity.
The SPLM-IO remains weakened by internal splits. While a breakaway faction led by Stephen Par Kuol attended the talks in Juba, Machar’s mainstream group was excluded. Machar himself remains under significant political and legal pressure and is currently facing trial on charges including treason.