How Many Seats Will South Sudan Elect?
A photographed amendment page says 332 seats, allocates all of them through three electoral methods, then provides for 66 presidential appointees. An official account of the law signed in September gives a different total. The NEC has declared 102 geographical constituencies.
JUBA — How many members will South Sudan’s next National Legislative Assembly have, and how will voters choose them? A photograph of a page headed “Amendment of section 60” has prompted a fair arithmetic question. It is not, on its own, proof that this wording appears in the final law signed by President Salva Kiir on 21 September.
What the photographed page says
The supplied page describes a 332-member Assembly. It assigns 50% of members to geographical constituencies, 35% to women’s closed party lists and 15% to other closed party lists. Those percentages add to 100%. It then provides for 66 people to be appointed by the president-elect to represent veterans, organised forces, minorities and persons with special needs.
| Proposed route in the photograph | Share | Seats if applied to 332 |
|---|---|---|
| Geographical constituencies | 50% | 166 |
| Women’s party lists | 35% | 116.2 before rounding |
| Other party lists | 15% | 49.8 before rounding |
| Presidential appointments | 66 people | Unclear whether included or additional |
If the first three categories fill all 332 seats and the 66 appointments are added, the chamber would have 398 members. If 332 is intended as the total including the appointees, the allocation percentages need a different base or another express adjustment. The page does not explain either approach or how fractional list-seat shares would be rounded.
Why 102 constituencies matter
The National Elections Commission declared 102 geographical constituencies in December 2025, citing the 2023 amendment and the decision to reuse the 2010 constituencies. If the photographed 332-seat formula applies and each constituency elects one member, it would call for 166 geographical seats—64 more than the declared constituency count. That is a conditional comparison: the public still needs the final seat-allocation rules and any later NEC decision.
The final-law question comes first
SSBC’s report on presidential assent says the amended Act sets the National Legislative Assembly at 270 members. Its report on parliamentary passage referred to 332. Without the authenticated, gazetted text and any accompanying schedule, South Sudan Press cannot identify which figure and appointment formula govern the December ballot. The photographed page may reflect an earlier bill version; its provenance and status have not been established.
Answers voters and parties need
- Will the Justice Ministry publish the signed and gazetted 2026 amendment, including section 60 and any seat-allocation schedule?
- Does the legal total include or exclude presidential appointees, and how many appointees does the final Act permit?
- What number of geographical seats will be contested, and does each of the 102 declared constituencies elect one member?
- If more geographical seats are required, will constituencies be revised or will the electoral formula change?
- When will the NEC publish the final constituency and party-list seat table before nominations?
The issue concerns ballot design, candidate nominations and the representation voters can expect. It warrants a documented answer before parties and independent candidates commit to a campaign.
Source record: NEC constituency declaration; SSBC report on presidential assent; SSBC report on parliamentary passage; photograph of an unidentified version of a section 60 amendment supplied to South Sudan Press. The photograph is discussed but not reproduced as an authenticated Act.
← Monday front page · Election information and civic education