Kiir revokes appointment of 1 opposition lawmaker without replacement

JUBA — South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has issued a presidential decree revoking the appointment of one opposition lawmaker in the recently reconstituted transitional parliament.

In the decree read out on the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), Kiir revoked the appointment of MP Dharuai Mabor Teny who was representing Rumbek East in the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) on the ticket of the opposition National Agenda alliance.

The lawmaker was appointed to the parliament by the South Sudanese head of state when he reconstituted the parliament as part of the revitalized peace agreement signed by President Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2018.

Kiir did not give reasons for the revocation of the appointment neither did he appoint replacement for the dismissed lawmaker.

There was no immediate reaction from the opposition politician’s group, but citizens questioned the motives behind his removal from parliament.

Mariak Bol, a Juba-based journalist and managing director of Talk of Juba newspaper wondered why the president removed the MP from the parliament.

“Young MP Dharuai Mabor Teny’s appointment on National Agenda group of parties ticket has been revoked by president,” Mariak said.

“What really went wrong?” he questioned.