Cabinet enshrines election postponement in the constitution

On Thursday, the National Council of Ministers enshrined the extension of the transition period and the postponement of the parliamentary elections in the transitional constitution.

Speaking to reporters following a meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir in Juba, Cabinet Minister Dr Martin Elia Lomuro said the term change would not be extended for all government positions, adding that the Justice Minister was expected to table the extension in Parliament on Friday.

“This afternoon, the Council of Ministers chaired by the President decided to amend South Sudan's 2011 interim constitution to approve a postponement of the elections and an extension of the transition period by 24 months from February 22, 2025 to February 22, 2027,” Lomuro said.

“We are very happy that everything has happened within our expectations and now we hope that the Ministry of Justice will submit this draft law amending the interim constitution to Parliament for consideration tomorrow,” he added.

Last week, the transitional government postponed parliamentary elections scheduled for December 2024, citing insufficient preparation. The move was approved on Wednesday by the newly established Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC), which oversees peace implementation.

This was the second time the country, which gained independence in 2011, postponed elections and extended a transition period that began in February 2020.

Several Western diplomatic missions and part of the South Sudanese population expressed their regret and disappointment at South Sudan's decision to postpone the country's first elections for two years.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the embassies of the UK, US, Norway, EU, Canada, France, Germany and the Netherlands expressed their disappointment at the decision, saying the timely holding of elections was a key element in strengthening stability, democracy and sustainable development in South Sudan.

South Sudan will now need over $433 million to hold parliamentary elections in December 2026.