DATA STORY: 39 political parties cleared to contest South Sudan’s December 2026 election

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The ClarityDesk

South Sudan’s Political Parties Council (PPC) has registered 39 political parties ahead of the country’s planned general elections scheduled for December 2026, marking a major step in preparation for the country’s first post-independence national polls.

According to Number One Citizen Newspaper, the Chairperson of the Political Parties Council (PPC), James Akol, made the announcement during a press conference held in Juba in July 2026.

New Political Parties Registered

Five new parties were recently approved by the PPC, including IO Party, formerly known as the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by the Minister of Peacebuilding, Amb. Stephen Par Kuol, alongside the National Democratic Movement (NDM) led by Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin.

Others include People’s Liberal Party (PLP) led by Peter Mayen Majongdit, South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC) led by Moro Isaac Jenesio and the Revive South Sudan Party (RSSP) led by Mawien Dot Pheot.

According to Eye Radio, the registration process was conducted under the Political Parties Act and was aimed at expanding political participation ahead of the electoral process.

Election Timeline

South Sudan is scheduled to hold its general election on 22 December 2026, after previous delays linked to political disagreements, insecurity, and incomplete preparations.

According to the original plan, the general election was supposed to have happened in 2015 but a civil war meant that had to be postponed.

The 2018 peace deal, which created a unity government with Kiir at its helm and rival Riek Machar as his deputy, envisioned an election in 2022 but the vote was never organized amid tension between the country’s leaders.

According to the BBC, 22 December has been set as the date for the vote in South Sudan, electoral chief Abednego Akok Kacuol said while acknowledging that unresolved legal amendments and persistent funding gaps continued to hamper poll preparations.

Key Election Figures

According to the PPC, the list of registered political parties can be seen below:

The list of parties that are officially registered with the PPC as of this date is as follows:

1.   African National Congress (ANC) – Gen. (Rtd) George Kongor Arop
2.   Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) – Gen. Salva Kir Mayardit
3.   United Sudan African Party (USAP) – Prof. Ajang Al Bior
4.   United Democratic Salvation Front – Mainstream (UDSF-M) – Francis Ben Ataba
5.   National Liberation Party (NLP) – Nkrumah Waden Kelueljang
6.   National Congress Party (NCP) – Agnes Poni Lokudu
7.   Democratic Change Party (DC) – Onyoti Adigo Nyikwec
8.   South Sudan Democratic Forum (SSDF) – Martin Elia Lomuro
9.   United South Sudan Party (USSP) – Paulino Lukudu Obede
10. National United Democratic Front (NUDF) – Kornelio Kon Ngu
11. South Sudan Democratic Alliance (SSDA) – Paskalina Philip Waden
12. Sudan African National Union – National (SANU-National) – Theresa Cirisio (Deceased)
13. United Democratic Salvation Front (UDSF) – Rev. Emmanuel Sokiri Lugor
14. National Democratic Party (NDP) – James Aniceto
15. United Democratic Party (UDP) – Tong Lual Ayat
16. Federal Democratic Party (FDP) – Galdong Nyanyek Bkhok
17. United Democratic Front (UDF) – Bona Deng

18. Communist Party of South Sudan (CPSS) – Joseph Wol Modesto
19. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) – Albino John Lako
20. South Sudan African National Union (SSANU) – Philip Palet Loth Maa Tang
21. Generation Party (GP) – Juma Seed
22. South Sudan National Party (SSNP) – Stephen Goro
23. National Democratic Front (NDF) – Anthony Agiem Makuc Akol
24. Republican Party of South Sudan (RPSS) – Abdall Deng N.
25. Akut Bam Party (ABP) – Adv. Jeremiah Mayen
26. Popular Congress Party (PCP) – Leader not listed
27. South Sudan Generation Party (SSGP) – Leader not listed
28. National Justice Movement (NJM) – Matur Mayende Rak
29. Labor Party (LP) – James Andrea
30. Social Democratic Party (SDP) – Rain Ayen Deng
31. National Patriotic Movement (NPM) – Issa Muzamil Sebit
32. South Sudan Democratic Front (SSDF) – Davide De-Chan
33. People’s United Forum (PUF) – Gai Chol Paul
34. People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) – Josephine Joseph Lagu Yanga
35. IO Party (IOP) – Amb. Stephen Par Koul
36. National Democratic Movement (NDM) – Lam Akol Ajawin
37. South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC) – Moro Isaac Jenesio
38. People’s Liberal Party (PLP) – Peter Mayen Majongdit
39. Revive South Sudan Party (RSSP) – Mawien Dot Pheot

This article is published by The ClarityDesk through the Young Journalists Media Integrity Fellowship, with support from the AHEAD Africa and Digitalise Youth projects, led by the Digital Democracy Initiative.

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About The ClarityDesk

The ClarityDesk is a media integrity project based in South Sudan dedicated to promoting truth, transparency, and accountability. Working at the intersection of fact-checking, solutions and data journalism, we verify claims, debunk misinformation, and equip the public with tools to critically evaluate information. Our work is guided by accuracy, independence, and the public interest.