Contextualizing democratic elections in case of South Sudan
By Steve Paterno
South Sudan is set for its historic, first-ever elections scheduled for the end of the year. For the last 15 years since independence, the country has been governed by an endless series of transitional governments.
Those transitional governments are often the result of brokered peace agreements conditioned on power-sharing and calculated for the personal accumulation of wealth.
Such power-sharing agreements are the manifestations of political elites who have discovered that power can be gained and retained through rebellions and negotiated settlements.
This, in turn, creates a dangerously entrenched cultural behaviour of armed rebellion throughout the country. Individuals who could not otherwise have held positions of power in government by merit suddenly find themselves enjoying enormous power and accumulating personal wealth through corruption.
Thus, the scheduled elections are expected to end the perpetual cycle of transitional governments. They aim to stop the notorious culture of constant rebellion and power-sharing negotiations aimed at personal wealth accumulation.
The elections will further empower citizens, allowing them for the first time to freely choose the individuals who will govern them and their country. This will usher in a culture of democracy as opposed to the dangerous culture of rebellion currently practiced by armed militias who are bent on stopping democratic transformation.
As a result, the country is moving at full speed to meet the tight deadline for conducting the elections.
The South Sudan National Elections Commission (NEC), an independent body tasked with regulating elections, has already set December 22, 2026, as the definitive day for casting ballots.
The commission received a critically allocated budget to launch nationwide civic and voter education to prepare the public. By law, on September 22, 2026, the entire government at all levels will be dissolved to pave the way for eligible candidates to begin campaigning.
The national legislative assembly moved quickly to expedite the process by reducing the original mandatory campaign period from six months to only three months.
Parliament also deferred the permanent constitution-making process and the conduct of the national population and housing census until after the polls, allowing these processes to be handled by a legitimately elected government.
The government has thus far managed to secure crucial regional and international diplomatic backing for political, technical, and logistical support.
Securing these regional and international diplomatic commitments is vital for the government to gain confidence, since some individuals within the country and certain Western nations remain sceptical of the government’s efforts and initiatives to conduct the elections.
According to the South Sudan Political Parties Council (PPC), an independent body regulating political parties, 39 political parties are now registered to compete in the scheduled December elections.
Among those political parties, the dominant Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) appears to be the most prepared, given its visible public activities.
For example, the party is conducting a week-long leadership seminar in Juba in preparation for the December polls.
The party announced that it will soon start preparing for its congresses. This internal process begins at the boma level and culminates in the national convention, where candidates will be elected to compete in the general elections.
The scheduled South Sudan elections are ultimately unfolding in a unique South Sudanese context and process. The elections will eventually end the perpetual cycle of transitional governments, halt the entrenched culture of rebellion, and usher in a democratic culture in South Sudan.