Civil society welcomes dissolution of parliament

A South Sudan’s civil society organization, known as Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, (CEPO) has welcomed the dissolution of the national legislative assembly and called for its immediate reconstitution.
“It’s a welcome decision though it’s a long overdue decision , it was supposed to happen two years ago , now I am calling upon the President and other party leaders to reconstituted the parliament immediately without taking long again” Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of CEPO told Juba ECHO on Monday over the phone
He said the delay in the dissolution of the assembly has put many activities on a stand-still which include budget and security.

Executive Director of CEPO, Edmund Yakani/Courtesy photo

Yakani appealed to the presidency to form the Transitional National Legislative Assembly within a week.
Over the weekend President Salva Kiir dissolved the Transitional National Legislative Assembly and the Council of States, paving way for the reconstitution of both houses.
The dissolution was announced in a presidential decree broadcast on state owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation on Saturday.
South Sudan’s peace agreement signed in September 2018 provides for the reconstitution of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) and the Council of States.
The TNLA will be expanded from 400 to 550 members comprising representatives from five peace parties that signed the agreement.
President Salva Kiir shall nominate 332 members, Opposition group led by the current first vice president Dr. Riek Machar will have 128 members of parliament, another opposition group known as South Sudan’s Opposition Alliance or SSOA will send to parliament 50.
The Other Political Parties or OPP, another opposition faction will have 30 representatives in the assembly and the Former Detainees will have 10 members.
The Council of States, on the other hand, shall be expanded from having 50 to 100 members.