Parliament ratifies extension of transitional period by 24-months

By Awan Achiek

The Transitional National Legislature on Friday ratified the extended two- year transitional period.

The legislators amended the Transitional Constitution Amendment Bill number 12, 2024 to incorporate the recent extension of the terms tabled by the Ruben Madol Arol, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

Oliver Mori Benjamin, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for Information said  parliament adopted resolutions of the presidency, cabinet, and the political parties which are signatory to the 2018 peace deal.

The new transition period begins from 22nd February, 2025 to 22nd February, 2027.

“Based on full understanding of what has come out from the stakeholders who consulted among themselves widely, the transitional national legislature unanimously endorsed the aforementioned extension,” Benjamin said after extra-ordinary sitting of parliament in Juba.

He said the extension includes the term of the council of state legislative assembly, the state legislative assemblies and the three administrative areas.

“The most important point to mention which is very important is that with this extension, the tenure of the president of the republic H.E Salva Kiir Mayardit is extended for two years,” Benjamin said.

Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) said it is the first time in the history of the country to amend a constitution within an hour without deliberations, debate or argument.

“We hope the same spirit will be used for allocating money for unifying the forces,” Yakani said.

“My message is that in the first six months of the 24 extended months, if they can’t deliver the permanent constitution and the unified forces then this marathon will never give them anything,” he added.

Yakani said that the leaders seem not interested in getting the country out of the current political instability, but rather they are after self-aggrandizement.

He urged the parties to use the same energy and the spirit they used to extend their stay in office to allocate resources to expedite implementation of the outstanding critical peace tasks within the revitalized peace agreement.