South Sudan President, Salva Kiir has dissolved the country’s transitional government ahead of the December 22 presidential election, ending the power-sharing arrangement established under the 2018 peace agreement.
The dissolution, announced in Juba on Tuesday, came hours after Kiir signed amendments to the National Elections Act removing requirements for a permanent constitution and national census to be completed before the elections.
Under the new arrangement, Kiir will remain in office with full constitutional powers throughout the election period until a newly elected president is sworn in.
The decree dissolved the national and state legislative assemblies and removed the five vice-presidents, ministers and local administrators, with a caretaker administration appointed to oversee the country until the polls.
The December 22 election is expected to be South Sudan’s first national poll since the country gained independence from Sudan in 2011, after previous elections were repeatedly postponed.
Kiir, who leads the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, SPLM, is seeking re-election, while his main political rival and former First Vice-President, Riek Machar, remains under house arrest and on trial on charges including treason and murder, which he denies.
The power-sharing government was established under the 2018 peace agreement that sought to end years of conflict between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar.
Meanwhile, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, RJMEC, has described the country as entering a critical phase and urged “political parties to reach agreement on a credible electoral process and a peaceful conclusion to the transitional period.”
The National Elections Commission is expected to proceed with voter registration and other preparations for the December polls, amid continuing political disagreements over the electoral process.
BBC
