Electoral Commission: We’ve received only 4% of funding for 2026 elections

By The City Review

The National Electoral Commission announced that it has received only 4% of the total funding required to organize the general elections scheduled for December 2026, warning that the lack of resources could pose a major challenge to the electoral process.

The Commission’s chairman, Professor Abednego Akok stated that the limited funding represents a significant obstacle to the ongoing preparations for the elections, which are expected to conclude the current transitional period stipulated in the 2018 peace agreement. In an interview with Eye Radio, Akok explained that the Commission has received only about 4% of the required budget so far, noting that only 2% has been utilized due to delays in disbursement.

He added that the timely availability of resources is crucial to ensuring that election preparations proceed according to schedule, pointing out that some government entities have exceeded their allocated budgets while the Commission has only been able to utilize a limited portion of the funding available to it thus far. Akok confirmed that the commission is continuing to implement a number of preparatory activities, including civic education programs, technical training for election workers, and the completion of legal and regulatory procedures related to the elections.

He noted that the first phase of the civic education programs is funded by the government and is expected to be completed by next June, after which the commission intends to announce the official date for the elections.

He also pointed out that the commission is simultaneously working on training electoral personnel and preparing for voter registration and the legal procedures necessary for managing the electoral process.

The parties to the South Sudan peace agreement agreed in December 2025, under the chairmanship of President Salva Kiir, to postpone the population census and the drafting of the permanent constitution until after the general elections scheduled for 2026.

The parties also affirmed their commitment not to extend the transitional period again and to work towards holding the elections according to the timeline specified in the roadmap for implementing the peace agreement.