South Sudan President Salva Kiir has signed amendments to the country’s election law, clearing a legal path for general elections scheduled for December 22, the first national vote since independence in 2011.
The changes remove requirements linking the elections to the completion of a permanent constitution and a national census. Government officials said the amendments are intended to align the electoral law with the transitional constitution and allow preparations for the December polls to proceed.
The amended law also keeps the current executive leadership in office with full constitutional powers throughout the election period until a newly elected president takes office. It gives the president powers to remove the first vice president and other vice presidents within three months of election day.
Parliamentary representation has also been reduced. The National Legislative Assembly will have 270 members, compared with 650 previously, while state assemblies will have 58 members and administrative-area councils 20.
The South Sudan Opposition Alliance rejected the amendments, saying they were adopted without adequate consultation among parties to the 2018 peace agreement. Opposition leader Riek Machar, Kiir’s longtime rival, remains under house arrest and faces charges he denies.
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