Abednego Akok, the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission - Photo Credit: Charles Wote/Eye Radio - June 19, 2024

The Chairperson of the National Election Commission says the body has not received funding for pre-election activities, despite a presidential directive to the Ministry of Finance to release the money.

The announcement comes as the commission steps up preparations for the general elections scheduled for December 2026.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Eye Radio this morning, Commission Chairperson Prof. Abednego Akok said the Ministry of Finance and Planning has yet to release the funds, despite President Salva Kiir’s directive in June.

“One of the major challenges is the lack of resources to run the elections, pre-election activities. This is very important because there are certain duties which will be done before we could go for registration or voting. It is very unfortunate, the directives put forward by the President were not fulfilled by the ministry of finance until now,” he said.

Akok said the money is needed to carry out activities such as civic education and the full establishment of offices across the country.

“They should do something, what I know is that any orders from the leadership of the nation should be fulfilled as they are, but I don’t know what is happening,” he added.

He disclosed that the commission has so far opened offices in only six states and plans to complete the remaining ones by the end of this year.

South Sudan has not conducted a general election since independence in 2011.

The first polls were scheduled for July 2015 but were postponed following the outbreak of civil war.

Since then, parliament has extended the presidential term several times, citing insecurity.