Civil society raises concern over lack of women among NEC returning officers

 The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) has welcomed the National Election Commission’s recruitment of returning officers ahead of South Sudan’s December 2026 elections but raised concerns over the low representation of women.

CEPO Executive Director Edmund Yakani said the organisation observed the recruitment process across the country’s 10 states and three administrative areas under its pre-election domestic observation mission.

Yakani described the recruitment as transparent and credible, saying it was an important step towards preparing for the elections.

“We appreciate and welcome the transparent and credible recruitment of returning officers and assistant returning officers by the leadership of the National Election Commission as a step in the country’s preparedness to hold elections in December 2026,” Yakani said.

He said returning officers would play a key role in managing candidate nominations, organising polling, overseeing vote counting and verification, and declaring election results.

Yakani urged the newly recruited officials to remain impartial and nonpartisan, adding that CEPO would monitor their conduct throughout the electoral process.

However, he said none of the 13 returning officers recruited was a woman. Only two women were selected among the 13 assistant returning officers, while the remaining positions went to men.

He said the figures fell short of South Sudan’s commitment to a 35 per cent affirmative action quota for women’s participation in public life.

Yakani called on the National Election Commission to take deliberate steps to increase women’s representation in the recruitment of other electoral officials, particularly presiding officers and polling clerks.

“We are appealing to the leadership of the National Election Commission that since the country has committed itself to enforce affirmative action of 35 percent for women participation in public life, there is a need to have a deliberate enforcement of 35 percent for women representation in public life. So, if men qualified to be returning officers would decrease, consider a qualification of a woman with a diploma as a returning officer and strengthen her capacity as a sign of enforcing affirmative action,” he said.

He also encouraged women across the country to apply for electoral positions and meet the advertised qualifications.

CEPO said the recruitment of impartial election officials and increased women’s participation would be important as South Sudan prepares for the December 2026 elections.