South Sudan Identifies 3,161 Voter Registration Centres but Sets No Start Date
The election commission says 14 regulations were approved as December polls approach, but voters have not been told when or where registration will open.
South Sudan's National Elections Commission has identified 3,161 voter registration centres nationwide but has not announced when citizens can begin registering for the general elections scheduled for 22 December 2026, according to comments by its chairperson reported on 5 November.
Commission chair Gabriel Bol Deng gave the centre count at a media workshop organised by the Union of Journalists of South Sudan, Eye Radio reported. He said registration materials and books were being distributed to states and administrative areas. The count identifies proposed sites; it does not establish that every centre is staffed, supplied or already accepting voters.
Deng also said the commission approved 14 electoral regulations on Wednesday, 4 November, following amendments to the National Elections Act in 2023 and 2026. The report did not provide the texts of those regulations, an opening date or a public directory listing the 3,161 centres. Approval of rules should not be confused with publication or commencement of voter registration.
The commission's own earlier 2 September notice explained that the registration period, centre locations and identification requirements would be announced by public notice. At that date, the commission explicitly denied social-media claims that registration had already begun or that regional voter totals existed. That September statement is historical: it does not by itself establish the position in November. The new workshop account, however, still provides no announced registration start date.
The distinction matters for citizens who need to know where and when they can register, particularly people living far from an administrative centre or displaced by conflict and flooding. A confirmed list of sites is a preparatory step, not proof that the electorate has been registered or that the electoral roll is ready for inspection.
The commission's September statement described a nationwide manual, in-person paper registration process, with information later entered into computer systems. The newly approved regulations have not been independently checked against that earlier description, so any claim that the procedure has changed would be premature.
With the planned election less than seven weeks away, the immediate documentary questions are the signed registration notice, the centre-by-centre list, the 14 approved regulatory texts, training and material-delivery records, and the timetable for displaying and challenging the provisional register. No finding of deliberate obstruction or unlawful conduct follows from the current documents.
TFNOS will track the commission's formal opening notice and any subsequent change to the election calendar.
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