During a Tuesday press briefing, the Minister of Information, Communication Technology and Postal Services, Ateny Wek Ateny, pushed back against reports that the current administration had quietly prolonged its mandate, insisting that the timeline agreed by President Salva Kiir and the Council of Ministers remains unchanged.
“There is no further extension. Elections must take place at the end of 2026,” Ateny told reporters in Juba, describing the government as prepared to proceed with the vote.
His remarks come at a time of heightened scrutiny over South Sudan’s transition, with previous deadlines having been missed and key provisions of the peace agreement, including the permanent constitution-making, still unimplemented.
Ateny said the administration is already looking toward the final stages of the transition, including the possibility of a caretaker government in the months leading up to the polls. Under such an arrangement, the current government would limit its role largely to overseeing the electoral process.
“If it is two months before the end, then we now remain with less than six months to ensure that the government becomes a caretaker government,” he said, pointing to October 2026 as a potential starting point.
The government’s clarification follows confusion triggered by a recent cabinet decision, which some interpreted as an attempt to extend the transitional period. Ateny rejected that interpretation, saying the Council of Ministers had only approved a legal step to allow lawmakers to debate proposed amendments to the Revitalized Peace Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict 2018.
The amendments, introduced by Justice Minister Michael Makuei Lueth, seek to remove requirements that a national census be conducted and a permanent constitution completed before elections are held—two provisions that have long been cited as major bottlenecks in the transition.
Ateny argued that postponing these processes until after the elections would be more realistic.
“The government that would be elected would be more competent to carry out the census and the constitution-making process,” he said.
Critics, however, have previously warned that removing such benchmarks could undermine the credibility of the elections, particularly in a country where population data and constitutional arrangements remain contested.
The minister also aimed at sections of the media and online commentators, accusing them of misreporting the cabinet’s decision and fueling unnecessary public anxiety.
“Those who said I announced extensions were just lying to the country,” he said, adding that inaccurate reporting could inflame tensions. “Media can even cause fighting to happen if they don’t accurately disseminate information.”
On the security situation, Ateny painted a relatively calm picture nationwide, though he acknowledged ongoing instability in parts of northern Jonglei State, where armed groups continue to operate.
“As a general security situation, the country is experiencing relative peace, except for some pockets in northern Jonglei,” he said, attributing the disturbances to opposition-linked forces.
He added that President Kiir is continuing to call for dialogue among both signatories and non-signatories to the peace agreement, signalling that political reconciliation remains a parallel priority as the country approaches elections.
Ateny also linked the government’s position to recent recommendations by the so-called C-5 countries, which he said support holding elections on time and oppose any further extension of the transitional period.
But the minister did not mention the release of political detainees, including First Vice President Riek Machar and other political detainees, which remains one of the key recommendations from the C-5 countries to the Kiir-led administration.
On financing, the minister insisted that the government has the capacity to fund the electoral process, citing oil production and domestic revenue streams despite ongoing economic challenges.
“The government has the money because oil is still flowing… and the non-oil revenues are there,” he said.
Still, the path to December 2026 remains uncertain. Organizing elections in South Sudan will require not only funding, but also political consensus, improved security, and public trust—factors that analysts say cannot be taken for granted.
