General News
South Sudan Enters New Political Phase as Kiir Reshapes Government Ahead of Elections
By Angel No Lie | KPD Online | September 23, 2026
South Sudan has entered a new stage of its long-delayed political transition after President Salva Kiir Mayardit dissolved the transitional unity government and signed changes to the country’s election law that remove two major prerequisites for holding national elections.
The measures, announced on September 22, came as authorities prepare for elections scheduled for December 22, 2026. The transition has been repeatedly postponed since South Sudan gained independence in 2011.
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Government dissolved after election-law changes
Kiir’s decision followed parliament’s approval of amendments to the National Elections Act.
Under the amended legislation, elections no longer have to wait for completion of a permanent constitution or a national census. Those requirements had been among the obstacles repeatedly cited during previous delays.
Kiir subsequently dissolved the transitional government, with the decree removing vice-presidents, ministers and local administrators. National and state assemblies were also dissolved.
The judiciary and security institutions remain in place.
Importantly, the amended law allows the incumbent executive leadership to remain in office with constitutional powers during the election period until a newly elected president assumes office.
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A transition created by the 2018 peace agreement
The government being dissolved was established under the 2018 peace agreement, which sought to end years of civil war and create a power-sharing arrangement between Kiir’s government and opposition forces.
The agreement was intended to lead eventually to elections.
However, several components of the transition have remained incomplete. These include the permanent constitution, voter registration and the integration of armed forces associated with rival political groups.
South Sudan’s first national elections were initially expected much earlier but have been repeatedly postponed.
South Sudanese voters queue outside at a
Key developments
| Development | Current position |
|---|---|
| Transitional government | Dissolved |
| Election date | December 22, 2026 |
| Permanent constitution | Not completed |
| National census | Not completed |
| Voter registration | Yet to begin |
| National legislature | Dissolved under the new arrangement |
| Presidential authority | Kiir remains in office during the election period |
| First Vice-President Riek Machar | Remains under house arrest and on trial |
The election date and remaining preparations could still become contentious because major elements of the transition remain unfinished.
Opposition concerns
The changes have been rejected by the main opposition alliance.
One of the most significant issues is the position of Riek Machar, Kiir’s longtime political rival and leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition.
Machar has been under house arrest since March 2025 and is facing charges including treason and murder, which he denies. His continued detention adds another major political dimension to preparations for the proposed election.
The removal of the vice-presidential positions is also significant because those positions formed part of the power-sharing structure established by the 2018 peace agreement.
Changes to parliament
The new electoral framework also reduces the size of South Sudan’s legislature.
According to Reuters, the National Legislative Assembly will be reduced from 650 members to 270. State assemblies will fall from 100 seats to 58, while legislative councils in administrative areas will have 20 members.
The changes therefore affect not only the timing of elections but also the structure of the institutions that voters would elect.
Elections can now move forward — but preparations remain
The legal changes remove two important procedural obstacles, but they do not mean that the country is fully prepared for voting.
Reuters reported that voter registration had not yet begun as of September 22. Al Jazeera also reported that the permanent constitution remains unfinished and that the armed forces loyal to rival political factions have yet to be fully unified.
Kiir also replaced the head of the national elections commission the previous week without publicly giving a reason. The new chairman, Gabriel Bol Deng Majok, has been given a mandate to oversee preparations for the vote.
Questions over presidential powers
The restructuring has generated competing interpretations.
The government presents the changes as part of the process needed to move from the transitional period toward elections.
But analysts cited by Al Jazeera and AFP have raised concerns about the concentration of authority in the presidency because Kiir remains in office with full constitutional powers while the vice-presidents and legislature have been removed.
Those concerns are political assessments rather than an established conclusion about the eventual conduct of the election. The practical test will be whether the authorities can complete voter registration, maintain the peace framework and conduct the electoral process according to the revised legal arrangements.
Security remains a major factor
South Sudan’s political transition is taking place against the background of a country that emerged from a devastating civil war.
The 2018 peace agreement followed years of conflict that killed an estimated 400,000 people and displaced millions, according to figures cited by the United Nations.
Security was heightened around government facilities in Juba following the latest changes, with checkpoints and road closures reported in parts of the capital.
What comes next?
The immediate challenge is converting the new legal framework into an operational election process.
Among the key steps still to be followed are:
- beginning voter registration;
- organizing the electoral administration;
- resolving outstanding elements of the peace agreement;
- addressing the constitutional process;
- determining how political parties and candidates will participate;
- maintaining security during the campaign and voting period.
For South Sudan, the December 22 date therefore represents a significant target, but the country’s election machinery still has substantial work to complete.
Independent assessment
Kiir’s latest decisions remove some of the legal barriers that previously stood between South Sudan and an election, while simultaneously changing the country’s transitional power-sharing structure. Reuters confirms that the amendments remove the constitution and census requirements and allow the incumbent leadership to remain in power during the election period.
Whether the changes ultimately produce an election on December 22 will depend on the remaining preparations and the ability of the country’s political actors to operate within the revised framework. The competing views of the government, opposition and independent analysts make the coming months particularly important for South Sudan’s political transition.
Sources: Reuters and Al Jazeera/AFP reporting, with additional background from South Sudan’s political transition coverage.