President Salva Kiir and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa have held talks in Pretoria on South Sudan’s preparations for the December 2026 elections, with South Africa agreeing to support several areas of the electoral process.
The meeting at the State House focused on technical and logistical needs ahead of the planned 22 December polls, according to a statement on the talks.
Kiir briefed Ramaphosa on preparations by the National Elections Commission, including the establishment of its headquarters, civic education activities, identification of voter-registration centres and the printing of voter registration materials.
The South Sudanese president said more than 20,000 election workers were being recruited, while more than 25,000 security personnel were undergoing training ahead of the vote.
Kiir also presented areas where South Sudan is seeking assistance from South Africa, including the production of ballot boxes, training for election officials, uniforms for election security personnel and digital identification cards for electoral and operational staff.
Ramaphosa agreed to support the four areas and said work should begin through South Sudan’s independent National Elections Commission.
The discussions come as South Sudan moves towards its first planned national elections since independence in 2011. The December vote is expected to mark a major stage in the country’s political transition, although preparations remain subject to logistical, institutional and political challenges.
Kiir thanked South Africa for its continued support to South Sudan, recalling Pretoria’s role in the peace process that led to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the country’s 2011 independence referendum.
The two leaders also discussed continued cooperation between their governments and South Africa’s role in supporting South Sudan’s peace and transit
