Juba
President Kiir has dissolved the Parliament and Council of States in a presidential decree declared on SSBC TV yesterday evening.
The announcement comes in advance of the formation of reconstituted Upper and Lower state houses, as mandated in the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS).
Since the signing of the Agreement, it was hoped the reconstituted parliament would be formed in 2020. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic and a number of domestic issues has slowed progress.
Delays to the formation of the reunified assemblies have been decried by a number of commentators as detrimental to South Sudan's development.
A number of civic activists have drawn links between the slow implementation of the R-ARCSS and issues of local authority, formal budget allocations and Ministerial accountability across the country.
In line with the R-ARCSS, the new Parliament will be expanded to 550 members with a mandated ratio of government and opposition representatives.
The makeup is as follows:
1.14.2.1. Incumbent TGoNU: 332 members.
1.14.2.2. SPLM/A-IO: 128 members.
1.14.2.3. SSOA: 50 members.
1.14.2.4. OPP: 30 members.
1.14.2.5. FDs: 10 members.
The Parliament is also due to split speaker nominations between the parties, with one deputy speaker stipulated as a woman.
Upon reconstitution, the Council of States will be expanded from 50 to 100 members.
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