President Kiir ratifies two-year extension of unity government. September 21, 2024.

The unity government secured two more years in power on Saturday when President Salva Kiir signed Amendment Number 12 to the Transitional Constitution of 2011, signaling official postponement of the country’s first-ever elections.

President Kiir signed the document ahead of a tight 22nd September deadline where the government was supposed to be dissolved, in accordance with the 2018 peace agreement.

In an extraordinary sitting on Friday, the parliament unanimously endorsed the constitutional amendment that was rushed through different levels of government for assent. Prior to the sitting, the memo was quickly passed by the cabinet on a weekend and given a similar greenlight by peace monitoring body R-JMEC amid concerns from diplomatic missions.

Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba said on Saturday the extension will enable the government to complete the pending essential tasks outlined in the peace agreement and adequately prepare for democratic elections in December 2026, according to Kiir’s office.

South Sudan has never undertaken general elections as an independent country – and polls were scheduled for December this year to usher in a democratically elected government and close a chapter of unending transitions.

However, the adoption of yet another extension was reportedly reached because most of the critical peace provisions, including security arrangements, permanent constitution-making, electoral preparations, and other issues that could enable credible elections, remain pending.

The presidency had formed a committee to review progress in the August 2022 Peace Roadmap, which invoked a similar two-year extension under the pretext that such would pave the way for implementing crucial pending tasks outlined in the 2018 peace deal.

Meanwhile, a renowned researcher said the recent amendment process of constitutional and electoral laws to extend the transitional period risks being illegal due to the limited time in which it was passed by the peace parties.

Dr. Luka Biong, the Managing Director of the Sudd Institute, said any proposed constitutional amendment must be introduced in parliament one month before deliberations on its amendment.

Western diplomatic missions in South Sudan, including the embassies of the UK, US, Norway, EU, Canada, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, have voiced their disappointment over the adjournment of elections.

In a press statement, the diplomatic missions pointed out that the extension highlights the transitional government’s failure to implement the 2018 peace agreement despite previous promises made in the launch of the peace roadmap in 2022.

They stressed that “while aware of the numerous challenges South Sudan faces and the complexities of the electoral process, we express our disappointment at this decision.”

An activist also questioned the rationale behind extension of the transitional period by the peace parties, arguing the decision was probably reached without proper assessment of its necessity.