South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit signed amendments to the country’s election law into force on Monday, hours after parliament passed them, paving the way for elections scheduled for Dec. 22.
The amended National Elections Act, 2012, allows the incumbent president to remain in office and exercise his constitutional powers during the election period. It also provides for the First Vice President and other vice presidents to leave office within three months before the election.
The legislation was passed by the Transitional National Legislative Assembly on Monday and sent to Kiir for assent. His signing of the bill came as South Sudan approaches a key stage in preparations for its first general election since independence in 2011.
Minister of Presidential Affairs Africano Mande Gedima said the amendments were intended to harmonise the existing election law with the Transitional Constitution and address inconsistencies in the legislation.
The amended law also separates the conduct of elections from the permanent constitution-making process and the national population and housing census, allowing the National Elections Commission to proceed with preparations without those processes being completed first.
It sets the National Legislative Assembly at 270 members, while each state legislative assembly will have 58 members and each administrative area legislative council will have 20 members.
The law also provides for the allocation of parliamentary seats and sets out the mandate of high elections committees in states and administrative areas responsible for implementing the electoral process.
The amendments come amid political disagreements over changes to the country’s transitional arrangements and electoral laws.
The South Sudan Opposition Alliance, a coalition of opposition parties and armed groups, said on Monday that amendments to the 2018 peace agreement, the transitional constitution and election laws had been made without adequate consultation among the agreement’s signatories.
South Sudan’s elections are scheduled for Dec. 22, 2026, after years of delays since independence. The vote is intended to mark the end of the country’s transitional period, which was established under a 2018 peace agreement.
The National Elections Commission has been advancing preparations for the vote, although voter registration had not begun.
Kiir’s signing of the law also comes a day before Sept. 22, when the three-month period before the scheduled election begins. Under the amended legislation, the transitional executive arrangements would change during that period, with the president remaining in office while the vice-presidents leave their positions.
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