South Sudan Transitional Government Dissolved Before December Vote
SOUTH SUDAN · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —What happened Kiir dissolved the transitional government by Republican Order on 22 September 2026.
- —Who went Five vice-presidents in total, plus ministers, both chambers of parliament, 10 state governments and three administrative areas.
- —The election date 22 December 2026, set by the elections commission in June and published in the official gazette.
- —Riek Machar The removed first vice-president has been under house arrest since March 2025 and is on trial.
- —The catch Voter registration had not started when the government was dissolved, three months before polling day.
- —What comes next Kiir stays president and has named caretaker ministers, 10 caretaker governors and three area administrators.
Five vice-presidents, both chambers of parliament and every state government went in one order, three months before the country’s first national vote.
President Salva Kiir dissolved the South Sudan transitional government on Tuesday 22 September 2026, ending the power-sharing cabinet created in 2018. A Republican Order read on state television removed the first vice-president and four other vice-presidents.
What the South Sudan transitional government lost
The order went far beyond the cabinet. It dissolved the Transitional National Legislative Assembly and the Council of States, the country’s two chambers of parliament.
It also dissolved all 10 state governments and their assemblies. The administrations and legislative councils of the three administrative areas, Abyei, Pibor and Ruweng, were dissolved as well.
Five vice-presidents lost their posts in total. First Vice-President Riek Machar and the four other vice-presidents were relieved with immediate effect.
National ministers and deputy ministers were also removed. The judiciary, the civil service, the security forces and the independent commissions keep working.
Kiir named a caretaker administration in the same order. It has 13 national ministers, three deputy ministers, 10 state governors and three chief administrators.
Kiir himself stays in office as president. The order says he remains until a newly elected president is sworn in.
The election law changes behind the order
Parliament passed amendments to the National Elections Act on Monday 21 September 2026. Kiir signed them into law the same day.
The amendments drop the rule that a permanent constitution and a national census must be finished before voting. That rule had delayed the ballot for years.
They also require the president to remove the first vice-president and the other vice-presidents within three months of polling day. That clause is what the 22 September order carried out.
The law lets Kiir keep full presidential powers until an elected president takes office. It cuts the national assembly to 270 elected members plus 66 appointed ones.
State assemblies fall to 58 members and administrative area councils to 20. South Sudanese living abroad may vote if they hold valid passports.
The changes amend the National Elections Act of 2012, the law that governs how the country votes. The bill was presented by Dengtiel Ayuen Kuur, who chairs the committee on legislation and legal affairs.
Voter registration, campaign periods and nomination rules were also restructured. The commission has said it still needs regulations to put the amended act into practice.
Where Riek Machar stands now
Machar has been under house arrest since March 2025. He is on trial on charges that include treason and murder, which he denies.
The trial has run through 2026 with repeated adjournments. No verdict has been reported.
It is not clear whether he can stand as a candidate in December. His party has not said how it will treat his removal from office.
His detention in March 2025 broke the unity government in practice. The order of 22 September has now ended it in law.
How the peace deal parties responded
The 2018 peace agreement built the South Sudan transitional government that has now gone. It gave Kiir the presidency, Machar the first vice-presidency and four more vice-presidential posts to other parties.
The South Sudan Opposition Alliance rejected the election law changes. It said they were made without proper consultation among the parties to the agreement.
A faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition, Machar’s party, rejects the December vote. Its acting chairman, Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, warned in August that holding the vote this way risks renewed fighting.
A rival wing of the same party, based in Juba, supports the election. Its leader, Stephen Par Kuol, is now caretaker minister for peacebuilding.
The 2018 deal followed five years of civil war in which about 400,000 people died. Its power-sharing design spread the executive across the former warring parties.
Why this matters for business in Africa
South Sudan depends on oil for most state revenue, and its crude moves through Sudan to the Red Sea. Contracts, permits and payments now sit with caretaker officials rather than an agreed coalition.
Athian Diing Athian holds finance and Awou Daniel Chiang holds petroleum in the caretaker line-up. Those two posts decide how oil money is collected and spent until the vote.
What is not known matters as much. Voter registration had not begun by the time the government fell, and no register has been published.
It is also not known how long the caretaker administration will hold office if the December date slips. Neither the government nor the commission has set out a fallback.
Amnesty International urged the authorities to protect civic space and basic rights during the election period. It said the legitimacy of the vote depends on that.
What to watch before 22 December 2026
The elections commission set 22 December 2026 in June and published it as the law requires. The National Elections Act asks for the date in the official gazette at least six months ahead.
Watch whether voter registration opens in October, because the timetable depends on it. Watch too whether the removed vice-presidents accept the order or challenge it.
The next months will show whether South Sudan can reach its first national vote without reopening old divisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people lost their posts in South Sudan’s government?
Five vice-presidents in total, plus national and deputy ministers, the two chambers of parliament, 10 state governments and three administrative areas.
Is the 22 December 2026 election date official?
Yes. The elections commission announced it on 22 June 2026 and published it in the official gazette, as the law requires six months ahead.
What is Riek Machar’s position now?
He has been under house arrest since March 2025 and is on trial for treason and murder, which he denies. He has now lost the first vice-presidency.
Connected Coverage
South Sudan Replaces Election Commission Chief Three Months Before Vote
South Sudan Has Removed the Legal Obstacles to Voting in December
Sources: Reporting from the Office of the President of South Sudan, the National Elections Commission, Radio Tamazuj, Al Jazeera, ABC News, TimesLIVE and Blueprint.
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