South Sudan Postpones First Post-Independence Elections to February 2027

South Sudan, 14 November 2026 - The much-anticipated South Sudan elections, scheduled for December 2026 and expected to be the first since the country gained independence from Sudan in 2011, have been postponed, again.

The country will now go to the polls on 11 February 2027 instead of 22 December 2026.

The Secretary General of the National Elections Commission of South Sudan, Ahon Malou Lueth, confirmed the postponement without citing the reason to AFP just as eligible citizens were due to begin registering as voters at 3,100 stations across the country.

In July 2026, President Salva Kiir confirmed that he would seek another term, describing the long-awaited vote as an opportunity to end years of transitional rule and usher in an elected government.

Speaking in an interview with Kenya’s Citizen TV, Kiir urged South Sudanese to register as voters and take part in the country’s first national election since independence.

“I will be on the ballot,” he said, confirming that he will contest the presidency on the ticket of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

He said South Sudan was ready to move beyond the prolonged transitional government established under the 2018 peace agreement.

“South Sudan is ready for elections, the people are ready to elect their leaders,” he said.

The United Nations has warned that the situation on the ground threatens to disrupt the peace that was slowly returning to the country.