Voting out of Transition? Perspectives on the Planned National Elections in South Sudan

Author: Jan Pospisil

This article is based on discussions with political stakeholders in South Sudan and the perceptions of the South Sudanese public on when the elections should take place, what are the necessary preconditions, what are the main risks and what parties have the best political visions for the country. In doing so, this article is drawing on a series of four opinion polls conducted between 2021 and 2023 by Detcro and the Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform (PeaceRep).

The polls captured the views of 13,325 people from fifteen counties across all ten states and one special
administrative area, encompassing urban, rural and displacement camp environments. Respondents were asked questions about their daily experiences of safety based on indicators of everyday peace developed through qualitative research during the project’s inception phase. They also shared their views on a wide range of governance and security topics.

The article will first give a brief overview of the debate on the role of elections in peace and transition processes, especially when they are meant to provide a way out of power-sharing arrangements. It will outline the public perceptions of the elections, especially regarding timing and associated risks, and will then proceed to look into the preparatory steps and the main challenges they provide. The conclusions will discuss the possible consequences of these elections on the transition process.

This article was published online by Society for the Study of the Sudans UK.