South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Wednesday, September 2, approved constitutional amendments allowing national elections to proceed without the prior completion of a permanent Constitution and population census. The Transitional National Legislative Assembly passed the amendments on Tuesday, September 1.
The changes separate the December 22, 2026 elections from the constitution-making process and national population and housing census, which were listed as prerequisites under the 2018 peace agreement.
The polls would be South Sudan’s first national elections since the country gained independence in 2011. They have been postponed several times, most recently in 2024, when the transitional government and opposition extended the transition and rescheduled the vote for December 2026.
Parliament approved similar amendments to the 2018 peace agreement, which Kiir assented to in July 2026. The Government says the changes will remove legal obstacles to the elections. However, concerns remain over funding, electoral preparations and the broader political, security and logistical challenges facing the process.