Lakes State launched voter registration on Sunday, a day after the nationwide exercise began, following delays caused by shortages of basic equipment, including chairs and tables.
The exercise was officially launched in Rumbek by Professor Kot Kuocnin Kuer, chairperson of the State High Elections Committee, and Manyang Luk, the caretaker minister of local government and law enforcement agencies, after the state received registration materials from the National Elections Commission (NEC) in Juba.
Turnout at the Akon Buoi registration centre in Rumbek town was initially low, while inadequate public awareness and shortages of equipment, including laminators, were cited as challenges facing registration officials.
Kuer said the exercise had been delayed because the state was waiting for chairs and tables to be delivered to registration centres across the state.
“We were supposed to start immediately, but we were waiting for chairs and tables to be provided to the registration centres across Lakes State. Now, we have received them, and we will start immediately with the launch,” he said.
Lakes State has 277 registration centres and 1,939 personnel assigned to conduct the exercise across its eight counties, Kuer said. He urged registration officials to ensure transparency and accuracy in compiling the voters’ register.
He also called on returning officers, traditional chiefs, politicians and prospective candidates to mobilise eligible citizens to register before the exercise closes.
“Do not blame the National Elections Commission later if you are left out because there is a specific period during which registration will take place. If you delay, it will be your responsibility,” he said.
Monica Anip Thuc, a voter from Rumbek Central County, told Radio Tamazuj that she had registered at the Akon Buoi centre and urged other eligible citizens to do the same.
“My message to others who have not yet registered is to advise them to register so that we can bring change to our community and the nation,” she said, adding that she hoped to elect leaders capable of bringing positive change to South Sudan.
Daniel Laat Kon, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) coordinator in Lakes State, welcomed the launch but urged authorities to protect registration officials and provide them with adequate logistical support.
“We have been following this process, but our call as civil society is for the protection of the people who are conducting the registration. The government, especially at the county level, needs to ensure that they are protected,” he said.
He said registration officials should be allowed to move freely and work without political interference, adding that mobility and the distribution of materials remained challenges.
Laat Kon also called on the caretaker government to facilitate the participation of all political parties rather than favouring any particular group.
He urged registration officials to remain impartial, saying their work would form part of the country’s electoral history.
“Their names will be part of the history of South Sudan because they are the ones conducting the first elections in the country,” he said.
Caretaker minister Luk said voter registration is an important step towards elections after years of discussions about holding the polls without tangible progress.
“We have been talking about elections, but there were no indicators. The indicators begin with voter registration,” he said.
He said the state government, under caretaker Governor Gen. Rin Tueny, is working to ensure that party primaries and voter registration are conducted safely.
South Sudan began nationwide voter registration on Saturday, November 14, with the NEC setting November 28 as the closing date. The exercise is being conducted at 3,161 centres across the country’s 10 states and three administrative areas.
The registration period is part of preparations for general elections now scheduled for February 11, 2027, under a revised electoral timetable issued by the NEC.
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