The National Legislature has amended the transitional constitution to include the new states created by the President.

The amendment does not mention that there will be 28 states, but the specific reference to the ten states has been removed.

In October, President Salva Kiir issued a republican order splitting the 10 states into 28.

The SPLM in Opposition and members of the international community criticized the order, saying it is against the peace agreement.

The National Alliance of opposition political parties also sued the government, asking the court to stop implementation of the order and declare it as invalid.

The court is yet to rule on the petition.

But the Minister of Justice, Paulino Wanawilla, presented a bill in parliament, seeking amendment of the constitution.

In an extra ordinary sitting of the national legislature today, a majority of the members voted in support of the order.

“The Council of States has passed it; so there is no any lying. Thank you very much for passing this although your openings may be lying and they should actually see this number,” the speaker of the parliament, Manasse Mahok Rundial, told the sitting.

‘Legal corruption’

However, the opposition in the assembly walked out of the sitting and described the move as ‘legal corruption’.

The Leader of Minority, Hon. Onyoti Adigo, says the amendment is against the constitution.

He said some MPs from Equatoria and the Upper Nile regions were absent from the sitting.

“I call it two things. The first think is legal corruption because you cannot change something which is not there. They should not have done that now. The committee went and tried amending article 158. They initiated the amendment by themselves which is unconstitutional,” Hon Adigo argued.

“The President is not supposed to alter the boundaries which he did in his president decree, the president is not supposed to name the capitals this is a gross violation of the agreement.”

He has called on IGAD to immediately speak against the amendment.

But previously, IGAD envoys said the move was a violation of the peace agreement.