South Sudan's National Elections Commission (NEC) has postponed the country's general elections from December 22, 2026, to February 11, 2027, according to a newly published electoral timetable.

The commission had not publicly explained the reasons behind the change at the time of publication.

The postponement comes just days after observers warned the United Nations Security Council that conditions for holding credible elections were not in place.

Murithi Mutiga, Africa Programme Director at the International Crisis Group, told the Council that the government had stripped away "key requirements in the 2018 agreement that were meant to help ensure that the country’s first post-independence elections would be viewed as legitimate."

Mutiga urged the Council to discourage Juba from “a rush towards elections before there is political consensus that the country is ready and the results will be viewed as legitimate”.

Despite the change in the election date, some key dates in the electoral timeline remain unchanged.

The NEC's revised calendar indicates that nationwide voter registration will take place from November 14 to 28, followed by the publication of the provisional voter register on November 29.

Voters will then have seven days, from November 30 to December 6, to raise objections.

On Friday, November 13, NEC Chairman Gabriel Bol Deng told journalists that registration would take place at 3,161 polling centres across the country's 10 states and three administrative areas.

The new timetable also outlines the process for reviewing objections, finalising the voter register and confirming candidates ahead of the polls.

The final voter register is now expected to be published on January 9, while the final list of candidates is scheduled for publication between January 18 and 21.

The commission plans to announce the election results on February 15 and publish them the following day.

A 148-day period, running from February 17 to July 15, has been set aside for resolving electoral disputes.