JUBA — South Sudan's planned inter-party political dialogue on elections has been postponed from 17 September to Thursday, 24 September 2026, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. in the main hall of the Revitalized Transitional National Legislative Assembly in Juba. Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomuro, who serves as rapporteur of the dialogue, issued the notice on 16 September. The announcement did not give a reason for the postponement.

The ministry said leaders and representatives of political parties signatory to the 2018 peace agreement had been informed. Diplomatic missions, regional and international organisations, civil society, faith-based groups and other stakeholders were also notified.

The postponement changes the political calendar, but it does not resolve the questions the dialogue was expected to address: participation, political freedoms, election security, constituency arrangements, campaign financing and the mechanics of voter registration and voting.

Participation remains uncertain

Government statements have described the dialogue as an effort to build consensus across the political spectrum. Radio Tamazuj reported that the United People's Alliance led by Pagan Amum and the SPLM-IO delegation led by acting chairman Oyet Nathaniel Pierino had previously called for an inclusive dialogue outside South Sudan at a neutral venue.

As of the postponement announcement, it remained unclear whether those groups had received and accepted formal invitations to the Juba meeting.

What is expected to be discussed

Reported agenda

  • Constituency boundaries and political representation.
  • Independent candidates and the sequencing of elections.
  • Election and campaign financing.
  • Security for candidates, rallies, polling centres and election materials.
  • Freedom of assembly, movement and expression.
  • Manual or digital systems for registration, voting, counting and transmission of results.
  • Domestic and international election observation.
  • Electoral complaints and dispute-resolution mechanisms.

The questions created by the delay

No official explanation has linked the postponement to the recent change in leadership at the National Elections Commission, and South Sudan Press has found no basis to make that connection. Establishing why the meeting moved by one week is therefore a priority reporting question.

Another issue requiring legal clarification is the significance of 22 September, which some political actors have described as a transition or caretaker-government milestone. South Sudan Press is treating the legal effect of that date as a matter requiring documentary verification rather than as an established change in government authority.

17 SEP
Dialogue postponed
22 SEP
Contested transition/caretaker milestone — legal effect to verify
24 SEP
Inter-party dialogue · 10:00 a.m. · Juba
22 DEC
Scheduled election date

What South Sudan Press is seeking

Verification checklist

  • The original postponement notice and any accompanying explanation.
  • A complete list of invitations and confirmed participants.
  • The formal agenda and decision-making procedure.
  • Whether outcomes will be binding, published or accompanied by implementation deadlines.
  • The legal basis and practical effect of the disputed 22 September caretaker claim.
  • Whether the revised timetable affects voter-registration or voter-list milestones.
Election resourceFor dedicated election timelines, constituencies and civic information, visit SouthSudanElections.org →