South Sudan: Open Civic Space Crucial for 2026 Elections

• South Sudan's government must ensure free civic space for the December 2026 general elections, upholding constitutional freedoms of movement, assembly, and association.
• The ruling SPLM must refrain from interfering with other political parties' internal activities and allow genuine, open competition.
• The National Elections Commission (NEC) needs to assert full ownership and rigorous oversight of all electoral processes, including party primaries.
• The Political Parties Council (PPC) requires sufficient resources to support all participating parties in conducting their grassroots primaries.
• Lifting travel bans and movement restrictions on political actors is crucial for enabling free campaigning and preventing an illusion of democracy.

An election conducted under conditions of censorship and restricted movement merely creates an illusion of democracy.

As South Sudan prepares for its general elections scheduled for December 2026, a fundamental requirement for their success is the government's commitment to guaranteeing an open civic space. This environment is essential for citizens to fully exercise their constitutional freedoms, including the rights to movement, assembly, and association. The nation is currently experiencing a growing electioneering mood, with a notable number of individuals expressing their intention to run for office across state assemblies, the national legislature, and local government levels, signaling a strong public desire for democratic choice.

President Kiir has publicly stated his objective to guide the country away from a cycle of perpetual transitions through these upcoming polls. However, for elections to genuinely serve this purpose, they must strictly adhere to established legal procedures and foundational prerequisites. Failing to do so risks turning the electoral process into a new source of conflict, as true legitimacy cannot be manufactured through controlled arrangements. The government must therefore complement the existing public enthusiasm with concrete and transparent plans for the electoral process.

A critical component of ensuring credible elections involves the conduct of the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). The SPLM must allow other political parties unfettered access to conduct their internal primaries and activities without any government interference. When the SPLM appears to dominate electoral discourse more prominently than the designated National Elections Commission (NEC), it risks undermining its own legitimacy. Credible elections are defined by genuine, open competition among all political parties, not by the number of seats won unopposed at any level of government.

To uphold integrity, the National Elections Commission must assume full authority over all electoral activities involving every participating party. This includes the crucial responsibility of rigorously supervising any primary elections conducted by political parties at the grassroots level. Furthermore, the Political Parties Council (PPC) is vital for a balanced electoral landscape and requires adequate resources and funding. This support would enable all participating political parties to carry out their grassroots primaries free from financial pressures. Senior SPLM leadership, particularly Secretary General Dr. Akol Paul, bears a responsibility to ensure that rival political entities are afforded the exact same civic liberties and operational space that the ruling party utilizes for its own activities.

For the 2026 elections to truly reflect democratic principles, the Government of South Sudan, under President Kiir’s leadership, must immediately lift all travel bans and movement restrictions currently imposed on political actors. It is imperative that political players are able to travel freely across the country to campaign, exercising their inalienable constitutional rights to associate, assemble, and choose leadership without any form of intimidation. An election conducted under conditions of censorship and restricted movement merely creates an illusion of democracy.

South Sudan cannot afford to re-enter the tragic cycles of political exclusion. Whether the nation successfully navigates its electoral timeline or faces structural adjustments, the fundamental truth remains: genuine democratic transformation hinges on an open civic space. By granting citizens their constitutional freedoms of movement, assembly, and association, and by empowering the National Elections Commission to independently guide the process, South Sudan can transform its upcoming polls from a potential flashpoint of crisis into a genuine foundation for national unity and a stable, viable republic.

Lawyers advising political parties, candidates, or civil society organizations in South Sudan should closely monitor the government's actions regarding constitutional freedoms of movement, assembly, and association, and the operational independence of the National Elections Commission and Political Parties Council. Non-compliance with these principles could lead to legal challenges regarding election legitimacy and impact the ability of clients to participate or observe the 2026 general elections effectively.

Source: Insights derived from a political analysis by Michael Thon Mangok.