JUBA – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit and main armed opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny who is also Kiir’s first deputy have agreed to expand the Council of States from 50 to 100 members and have also agreed to reconstitute the Transitional National Legislative Assembly and the Council of States next week after all the parties to the revitalized peace agreement submitted their nominees.
Tutkew Gatluak, the Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs, said in statements to state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) early this week that the two men reached the agreement during a meeting at the State House J1.
According to the 2018 peace agreement, peace parties shall expand the parliament from 400 members to 550. The SPLM-IG led by President Salva shall nominate 332 members, SPLM-IO with 128, members and South Sudan Opposition Alliance, or SSOA, with 50 members.
OPP, an alliance of political parties who were under the government shall have 30 representatives and the Former Detainees with 10.
This process should have been done with the formation of the Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGONU), but disagreements between the parties including reported rejection of some opposition nominees by the president delayed the important step in the peace implementation.
In his statements, Gatluak who is a close ally of President Kiir and the chairperson of the NTC said that all parties have submitted the complete list of their nominees for the President to make the appointments.
“All the peace parties have already submitted their nominee lists for the national parliament and the council of states and it’s ready to be announced,” he said.
“Last time we delayed because we wanted to increase the members of the Council of States…we discussed how the states governments are moving forward with their issues are,” he added.
