Voter registration to begin in early November, NEC says

The National Elections Commission (NEC) says voter registration for South Sudan’s upcoming elections is expected to begin in early November.

In a statement, the commission Chairperson, Gabriel Bol Deng said the exercise would be launched following an engagement with African Union officials in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Tuesday.

Bol met officials from the AU’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security at the organisation’s headquarters to seek support for the elections.

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

However, Bol identified a shortage of resources for civic and voter education, voter registration and logistical arrangements as major challenges facing the electoral process.

He called on the AU to support the elections, assuring officials that the government of South Sudan remained committed to providing the necessary funding.

Bol said government funding had enabled the commission to acquire its headquarters, launch civic and voter education activities, and produce voter registration documents.

The AU reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the elections and said it was making logistical arrangements to deploy election experts to South Sudan.

Patience Zanelie Chiradza, Director of Governance and Conflict Prevention in the AU’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, said the organisation wanted at least one expert to be based in Juba for an extended period to support the commission.

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

Chiradza said the commission should provide an election roadmap to help the AU mobilise additional resources.

She added that the organisation was ready to support training, civic education and voter education. She also said the AU would approach other member states for assistance, noting that Nigeria had already offered to support South Sudan’s elections.

Meanwhile, Bol met Algeria’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU, Dr Mohamed Khaled, who expressed his country’s readiness to assist the electoral process.

Khaled urged the commission to submit an urgent request outlining its priority needs, saying Algeria would provide support within its capabilities.

Bol also said the commission had recruited 22,127 workers to manage the December polls.

He added that South Africa had offered assistance and had already provided some in-kind support.

South Sudan is scheduled to hold general elections on December 22, 2026, ahead of the expected end of the transitional period under the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement.

The elections are expected to be the country’s first since it gained independence in 2011.