South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has dissolved the country’s Transitional Government of National Unity and removed all five vice presidents from their positions as the country moves toward its long-delayed general elections scheduled for December 22, 2026.
The dissolution, announced on September 22, brings an end to the power-sharing administration established under the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). Kiir has appointed a caretaker administration to oversee government affairs during the electoral period.
The move means First Vice President Riek Machar and the four other vice presidents have been relieved of their positions, alongside the dissolution of the national legislature and state governments. Kiir himself will remain president during the election period until a newly elected president is sworn in.
Speaking as he opened an Inter-Party Dialogue on Election-Related Matters in Juba on Thursday, September 24, Kiir said political parties had agreed to avoid another extension of the transitional period and instead proceed with general elections.
“Indeed, we agreed with all parties to the R-ARCSS to avoid further extensions and chose the option of a general election,” Kiir said.
Kiir said the dialogue should focus on creating conditions for a peaceful and credible election rather than reopening decisions already reached.
“This inter-party dialogue is not a place for negotiations and disagreements. It is not a place to shift the direction of the path that we have taken,” he said.
Kiir identified four key areas that need attention before the December vote: electoral laws, election administration and logistics, security, and political dialogue.
He said the legal framework had been addressed after Parliament approved amendments to the National Elections Act. The amendments removed previous requirements linking the elections to completion of a permanent constitution and a national population census.
The President said administrative, logistical and security preparations were also progressing, while the inter-party dialogue would address election-related issues among political actors.
South Sudan’s elections would be the country’s first general elections since independence in 2011, following several postponements during the transitional period.
The changes have nevertheless generated political concerns. Opposition groups have questioned the electoral framework, while Riek Machar remains suspended and faces legal proceedings.
The dissolution also leaves Kiir as the only member of the former presidency retaining executive authority during the election period. The decree establishing the caretaker arrangement says government institutions required by law, including the judiciary, civil service and security institutions, will continue functioning.
The European Union has also cautioned the caretaker administration against taking major political decisions during the transition and described holding free and fair elections within three months as a significant challenge.
Kiir, however, has maintained that the government’s actions are aimed at ending the prolonged transitional period and preparing the country for elections.
He also acknowledged the support of regional leaders, including Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, and called on religious leaders, civil society and other participants in the dialogue to remain focused on election-related matters.
With December 22 now set as the polling date, attention is shifting to whether South Sudan can complete the remaining preparations and hold the country’s first post-independence general election on schedule.
