The amendment, signed into law on Wednesday, removes legal requirements that linked the conduct of national elections to the completion of the permanent constitution-making process and the national population census.

Speaking in an interview with Kenyan media, President Kiir said citizens want to elect their leaders and end the transitional period. He called on South Sudanese to participate in voter registration once the process begins.

“South Sudan is ready for elections because the people would want to elect their leaders and then to get out of this transition. And the transition for the people think that it is not good with them. And so, the election is good with them. Number two, they must go in for elections. Registration of voters will start very soon. So, I want them to register in big numbers so that when they go for voting, they pick their leaders. This will not be dictated to them,” President Kiir said.

The president said voters should be allowed to choose their leaders through the electoral process.

He also urged South Sudanese to maintain peace and unity during the electoral period and called for the preservation of the 2018 peace agreement.

“The peace agreement must be maintained. People must remain united and should not fragment into tribes. Because we have 64 tribes, this will be the worst scenario if people go there. But if they maintain peace in the way they have been all these years, to remain united, if they remain united, we will have no problem,” Kiir said.

South Sudan is scheduled to hold its first general elections since independence in December 2026 after several delays linked to the implementation of the peace agreement.