JUBA —The South Sudan Political Parties Council (PPC) has threatened to suspend its participation in South Sudan’s planned December 2026 general elections, accusing the National Elections Commission (NEC) of sidelining it from key electoral processes.
In a letter dated 28 July, the PPC said the NEC launched the nationwide Civic and Voter Education campaign without its involvement, calling the move “a severe breach of institutional protocols that threatens the legitimacy of the December 2026 electoral process.”
The letter, signed by PPC Chairperson Eng. James Akol Zakayo Dhiak, claimed that the lack of inclusion undermines the principles of political pluralism and equal participation guaranteed under the country’s laws and the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
“The council will not serve as a passive observer to centralized public relations events while our statutory mandate is systematically marginalized,” part of the letter read.
Akol argued that the regulation of political parties and voter education are legally inseparable, accusing the NEC of what he called “overstepping its collaborative boundaries” by launching the campaign without the council’s co-authorization.
Akol called for the immediate establishment of a Joint Inter-Agency Electoral Steering Committee, saying it should have equal decision-making powers.
He proposed that all future electoral directives and civic education activities involving political parties should be jointly approved by the two institutions to ensure transparency, inclusivity, and coordinated implementation.
He claimed the council had not received its operational budget, despite deploying 13 state registration coordinators across the country.
“It is institutionally unacceptable for the NEC to command vast resources for public launches while the state completely starves the PPC of its approved operational budget,” he said.
Akol warned that the party would suspend its participation in future national electoral activities.
He urged the country’s 39 registered political parties to reconsider their involvement until the joint committee is established and its operational budget is released.
The National Elections Commission has not publicly responded to the allegations contained in the letter.
The disagreement comes as South Sudan steps up preparations for elections scheduled for December 2026, widely seen as a key milestone in the implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
