Survey finds strong public support for December 2026 elections despite security concerns

A new public survey has found that support for holding elections in South Sudan by December 2026 remains strong, despite worsening security conditions and concerns over the country’s peace process

The survey, titled Trends in Civic Space and Elections in South Sudan: Findings from the Seventh Round of the Public Perceptions of Peace Survey, found that 78.8 per cent of respondents want elections to take place by December 2026, up from 76.9 per cent in 2025.

The survey, conducted in two rounds between February and April and between August and September 2026, was funded by the European Union and covered 4,530 respondents across 15 counties, with additional reporting in displacement camps bringing the total number of locations surveyed to 18.

According to the findings, the proportion of respondents who believe South Sudan is ready for elections increased from 61.3 per cent in 2025 to 65 per cent in 2026. However, this remains below the 73.3 per cent recorded in 2024.

Support for holding elections as scheduled in December 2026 also rose from 67.2 per cent in 2025 to 73.2 per cent this year.

Meanwhile, the proportion of respondents who support postponing elections beyond December declined from 19 per cent to 16.1 per cent.

However, confidence in personal readiness to vote has gradually fallen, from 84 per cent in 2024 to 79 per cent in 2026.

The survey also found differing views on whether outstanding transitional tasks should be completed before elections.

Some 68.1 per cent of respondents said a permanent constitution should be adopted before voting, while 61.3 per cent agreed with the December 2025 decision to postpone constitution-making and the census to prioritise elections.

On the conditions that could justify postponing the vote, 54.1 per cent cited the return of internally displaced people and refugees to their homes, while 51 per cent identified the adoption of a permanent constitution.

Another 50.5 per cent said completing the census was important, while 48.2 per cent cited the deployment of the necessary unified forces.

However, 42.9 per cent said elections should proceed even if none of these outstanding tasks had been completed.

On the preferred election format, 65.8 per cent favoured holding elections for all positions simultaneously, while 34.2 per cent preferred a staggered approach.

The findings also indicate that concerns about violence have not significantly reduced public demand for elections. Among respondents who considered the risk of electoral violence high or very high, 74.4 per cent wanted elections held in December or earlier.

The survey further highlighted concerns about civic freedoms, with almost half of respondents saying they felt unsafe or very unsafe speaking publicly about politically sensitive issues.

In 2026, 49.9 per cent expressed those concerns, compared with 50.9 per cent in 2025 and 46 per cent in 2024.

Only 35.1 per cent said they felt safe or very safe expressing their political views publicly, while 15 per cent remained neutral.

The survey covered respondents across 10 states and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area. It was authored by David Deng, Christopher Oringa and Jan Pospisil.