After a 16-year gap without a national population census, South Sudan’s National Elections Commission (NEC) has confirmed that the country will conduct its long-awaited 2026 general elections using the geographical constituency boundaries established during the 2010 elections.
The announcement was made Monday in Juba by NEC Chairperson Professor Abednego Akok Kacuol, who said the decision is grounded in law and driven by practical realities, including prolonged delays in conducting a national census and completing the constitution-making process.
As a result, the commission has formally declared 102 national constituencies across South Sudan’s 10 states and three administrative areas, reverting to the last legally recognized electoral map.
According to Akok, the move is guided by the National Elections Act of 2012, as amended in 2023, which compels the commission to rely on the 2010 constituency framework when a new population census has not been carried out.
He noted that the law leaves the NEC with little discretion under the current circumstances.
“In accordance with the National Elections Act, the National Elections Commission hereby declares the 102 constituencies in line with the ten states and the three administrative areas,” Akok said in a press statement.
Under the declared distribution, Central Equatoria State has 14 constituencies, Eastern Equatoria State 11, and Western Equatoria State 8. Jonglei State, which includes the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, has the highest number with 17 constituencies. Upper Nile State has 12, while Unity State, including the Ruweng Administrative Area, has 7.
Further allocations include Lakes State with 8 constituencies, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State with 9, and Western Bahr el Ghazal State with 4. Warrap State, which includes the Abyei Administrative Area, has 12 constituencies.
The NEC said the full list of constituency names, boundaries, and detailed descriptions will be published on its official website and in print media, in line with Section 41(1)(g) of the elections law.
The commission also urged citizens, political parties, and civil society groups to rely solely on official NEC publications for accurate constituency information as election preparations intensify.
The decision follows a December 10 agreement by signatories to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) to proceed with elections without waiting for a new census or the completion of the permanent constitution both of which were originally set as preconditions for credible polls.
While the move clears a major procedural hurdle toward the 2026 vote, it has also reignited public debate about representation, demographic changes, and electoral fairness, given significant population movements caused by conflict, displacement, and urbanization over the past 16 years.
South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011, has yet to hold a national election since the end of its civil war.
The planned December 2026 elections are widely viewed as a critical milestone for the country’s fragile peace process and a key test of its transition from conflict to constitutional governance.
