South Sudan's Kiir Removes Electoral Commission Chief Three Months Before Historic Vote

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has dismissed the chairperson of the National Elections Commission, Abednego Akok Kacuol, just three months before the country is scheduled to hold its first general election since gaining independence in 2011. No public explanation was given for the removal, announced on Tuesday night.

Gabriel Bol Deng Majok, who had been serving as the commission's secretary general, will take over as chairperson.

Akok, 71, was first appointed to lead the electoral body in August 2012 and was reappointed in November 2023 after the commission was reconstituted under the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war. South Sudan has repeatedly pushed back elections, citing slow progress in implementing that deal.

The transitional period has been extended multiple times. Under the current roadmap, the transitional government is to be dissolved on September 22, with elections set for December 22, ahead of the transitional period's expiry in February.

The leadership change has drawn scrutiny over both its timing and its legality. The National Elections Act outlines a specific procedure for removing a chairperson and lists grounds including proven partiality, inability to perform duties and gross misconduct.

Policy analyst Boboya James Edmond, chief executive of the Institute of Social Policy Research in South Sudan, said the decision did not meet those legal requirements. "The president has no sole authority under the law in South Sudan to remove the chairperson of the National Electoral Commission unless the detailed procedures are followed," he said, warning that the move could add uncertainty to the electoral process. He added that the president was now "acting as a referee rather than as a player and participant in the electoral process."

Political analyst Abraham Kuol Nyuon, dean of the University of Juba graduate college, said the change could further complicate preparations, including voter registration. "This is a delay tactic," he said, adding that "the people of South Sudan should forget about the Dec. 22 polls." The incoming chairperson will need time to familiarise himself with the role and make the decisions required to complete preparations, Kuol noted.

The development comes after the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan warned last week that elections held without safeguards and inclusive political dialogue could fuel renewed conflict. "The country can move toward elections in a way that deepens division and conflict, or it can use this moment to restore political dialogue, protect civilians and put in place the safeguards needed for a peaceful and credible transition," said the commission's chairperson, Yasmin Sooka.