(JUBA) – A prominent civil society organisation has urged South Sudan’s Transitional National Legislature to prioritise essential reforms as Parliament reconvenes this week, warning that any further delays could threaten the country’s plan to hold its first post-independence elections in December 2026.
The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), through its Executive Director Edmund Yakani, expressed concern over the slow pace of preparations, including the delay in releasing funds to the National Elections Commission (NEC), the absence of a well defined security framework, and the ongoing restrictions on civic and political freedoms.
Yakani said Parliament must act urgently. “The release of funds to the elections body must be timely and adequate,” he noted. “Security plans must protect electoral institutions, officials, voters, and candidates. And civic and political space must be open and unrestricted.”
South Sudan has committed to holding national elections in 2026, following years of conflict, displacement, and delayed implementation of the 2018 peace agreement. However, recent economic and political challenges have raised doubts about the country’s readiness.
Yakani also urged lawmakers to amend the electoral law to adopt the 2010 constituency map. He said the current population displacements caused by conflict make it difficult to rely on any new mapping exercise. “We must not let displacement silence the voice of any community,” he said.
He stressed the need for clear and inclusive planning, particularly from the Presidency, to ensure that voters and communities feel safe and represented. Yakani believes that a credible and peaceful election will only be possible if the groundwork is properly laid through inclusive laws, sufficient funding, and nationwide security.
Political observers have noted that South Sudan’s electoral body, the NEC, has yet to receive the full funding required to begin operational planning.
Despite these needs, political divisions and economic hardship continue to stall the electoral process. Yakani warned that some elites are benefitting from the delay, using the current crisis to avoid accountability.
“South Sudan would never be able to go for elections if the current economic hardships continue,” he added, cautioning that poor conditions are being used by some to block democratic transition.
CEPO’s call for urgent reforms comes as the country’s transitional period nears its end, with key benchmarks of the peace agreement still unmet.
