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President Salva Kiir announced the dissolution of South Sudan’s transitional government during an expanded meeting of the presidency that included vice presidents, party leaders and senior officials. The decision, made on September 22, 2026, fulfills legal requirements for conducting elections and follows an agreement reached by political leaders in December 2025 to avoid extending the transitional period further, according to the president’s office. The judiciary and key security institutions will remain operational while a new caretaker government assumes responsibility for day-to-day affairs until the polls.
The move came one day after parliament approved and Kiir signed amendments to the National Elections Act that eliminate the prerequisites of completing a permanent constitution and conducting a national population census before voting can occur. These legislative changes also allow Kiir to remain in office throughout the election period and remove the positions of all vice presidents who had been part of the power-sharing arrangement. The main opposition alliance has rejected the amendments, multiple regional news outlets reported.
South Sudan has not held national elections since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, after which it plunged into a five-year civil war, Africanews reported. That accord created the transitional government of national unity that included representatives from former warring factions and set out a series of benchmarks for a return to democratic rule. The elections, now set for December 22, 2026, have been delayed multiple times due to incomplete implementation of those benchmarks.
Analysts have expressed concern over the concentration of power in the president’s hands following the dissolution. Lawyer and former constitution drafting committee member Michael Wani told AFP that the changes leave Kiir without vice presidents, an executive or a parliament during the transition. The appointment of a caretaker administration is intended to bridge the gap until a new elected government takes office.
The caretaker government will include some officials reappointed to similar portfolios after the full council of ministers and the transitional national legislature were also dissolved. All state governors and administrators of three administrative areas have likewise been relieved of their positions as part of the comprehensive reset. President Kiir stated that the formal resolution would be announced in accordance with electoral legal provisions.
The National Elections Commission declared December 22 as the date for the general elections, which are expected to be the first since the country’s independence. No voter registration has taken place and unification of rival armies remains incomplete, according to reports from Africanews. The developments have drawn international attention as the young nation attempts to transition from prolonged instability to elected governance.
