S. Sudan president accused of abusing power over appointment of state officials below governor

JUBA – A senior member of South Sudan’s main armed opposition group, SPLM-IO, led by the country’s First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny, has accused the country’s president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, of abusing power over appointment of state government officials below the governor, days after Kiir and Machar agreed to give Kiir the prerogative to appoint state ministers and other local government officials.

On Tuesday, President Kiir and his first deputy Machar met at the State House J1 and agreed to advance the implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement beginning with the appointment of state ministers, members of state parliament and county commissioners, among others, which will be administered by President Kiir with a presidential decree.

On Friday evening, the president issued a republican order removing all members of parliament for the defunct 32 states in an important step that precede the appointment of state ministers, members of parliament and county commissioners in all the 10 states and the three administrative areas which is likely to happen next week.

In a brief social media statement on Wednesday, Nathaniel Pierino, the SPLM-IO governor for the defunct Imatong state and the group’s representative to the National Constitutional Amendment Committee (NCAC), said any move by President Salva Kiir Mayardit to appoint members of state governments below the governor would be an abuse of power.

“Any appointment by the Presidency of State Constitutional Post holders below the level of Governors has no legal basis. It is ultra vires and guess work. South Sudan Constitutional development and rule of law has a long way to go. Abuse of powers is from top to bottom,” the outspoken opposition official wrote

“There appears to be no Judiciary arm of government and Chief Justice is ceremonial. There is equally no press,” he added, referring to the state censorship against independent media.