African Union envoy and former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said South Sudan appeared prepared for its planned Dec. 22 general election following a five-day visit to Juba, according to South Sudan's foreign ministry, Radio Tamazuj reported on June 23. However, the National Elections Commission, which set the election date, warned that legal inconsistencies, funding shortages and unresolved arrangements for internally displaced people and diaspora voting could undermine voter registration and broader logistical preparations.

Elections have been postponed four times since independence in 2011 due to incomplete implementation of the peace agreement, including delays to security arrangements and constitutional reforms. Machar, a principal signatory and key guarantor of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, remains detained in Juba on treason charges, while several opposition figures and parties have been sidelined, co-opted or excluded from key political processes.