South Sudan Delays National Election to February 11, 2027, Election Commission Timetable Shows
South Sudan has pushed back its national elections to February 11, 2027, according to a timetable issued by the country's National Elections Commission, in another delay to its first election since independence in 2011. No reason was given for the postponement.
Presidential and parliamentary elections were scheduled for December 22. In a statement, the commission said the postponement was intended to provide additional time for necessary preparations for the elections.
Josephine Achiro Fortelo, commissioner of the National Election Commission and its spokesperson, told Reuters on Saturday, confirming the electoral date had been changed. She said the timeline had been drawn up after thorough consultation with stakeholders.
South Sudan has not held a national election since gaining independence from Sudan in July 2011. The country has been formally at peace since a 2018 deal ended a five-year conflict responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, but violence between rival communities flares frequently.
In September, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said the country lacked safeguards and conditions for peaceful and credible elections.
Under the revised timetable, the campaign period and other steps will shift with the new polling date. Whether the vote takes place in February 2027 will depend on the progress of preparations.
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：南苏丹妇女手持南苏丹国旗。来源：Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, Mr leroy playpus，维基共享资源。 / Photo: South Sudanese women holding the national flag. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, Mr leroy playpus, via Wikimedia Commons.
