South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has assented to the National Elections Act, 2012 (Amendment) Bill, 2026, clearing another legal step towards the country’s planned December general elections.
The Presidency said the amended law addresses inconsistencies in the existing electoral law and brings it into line with the Transitional Constitution.
Among the changes, elections will no longer depend on completion of the permanent constitution-making process or the national population and housing census. This allows the National Elections Commission to proceed with preparations without the two processes being prerequisites.
The law also provides for the incumbent president to remain in office and exercise constitutional powers until an elected president takes office.
It further provides for the exercise of presidential powers under Article 104(2) of the Transitional Constitution concerning the First Vice President and Vice Presidents within the period prescribed ahead of the elections.
The Presidency says the next National Legislative Assembly will have 270 members, while each State Legislative Assembly will have 58 members and each Administrative Area Legislative Council 20 members.
The law also sets rules for the allocation of parliamentary seats and the operation of High Elections Committees across the states and administrative areas.
Minister of Presidential Affairs Africano Mande Gedima said the amendment provides greater legal clarity as South Sudan moves towards the polls.
The Presidency says the government now wants the National Elections Commission to advance preparations for voting in December 2026.
The elections are intended to move South Sudan from its prolonged transitional arrangement towards an elected government.
Earlier on Monday, the National Legislature passed the amendment bill following debate over several of its provisions
