President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir has dissolved the transitional government on Tuesday, hours after signing amendments to election laws that removed requirements to complete a permanent constitution and national census before a vote.
Heavy security was deployed in South Sudan on Tuesday as the president prepared to dissolve the government for the first-ever election, with analysts warning that last-minute legal changes give him total control over the transition.
South Sudan achieved independence in 2011 but soon after plunged into a five-year civil war and remains one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world.
READ ALSO: South Sudan Amends Election Law Ahead Of December Polls
Elections are due on December 22, after being postponed twice, but the government has failed to implement almost any of the preconditions set out in a 2018 peace agreement.
According to reports, no voters have been registered, rival armies have not been unified, and the long-awaited constitution has never materialised.
President Salva Kiir dissolved the government at midnight (2200 GMT), in line with the agreed elections timetable, and he appointed a new transitional government to oversee the vote.
But it comes a day after changes to the National Elections Act allowed Kiir to stay in power while removing all vice-presidents appointed under the 2018 peace deal during the election period.
The amendments also allow for the vote to go ahead despite the lack of a constitution or census.
Analysts warned in comments to AFP’s Nairobi bureau that the changes offered Kiir unfettered control.
According to a lawyer and former member of the constitution drafting committee, Michael Wani, “Kiir will be the only person in power, without vice-presidents, without the executive, without the parliament.”
Independent analyst Machot Amuom said there was a lot of “ambiguity” in the legal changes.
“The new law gives the president full powers… He can decide even not to go for elections for another year or another two years,” Amuom said.
Report said there was an increased military presence in the capital, Juba, on Tuesday.
Tensions remain high between rival political groups, with opposition leader Riek Machar currently jailed on treason charges.
In that context, international observers fear the election could tip the country back into full-blown conflict.
African News
