A civil society organization has lauded President Salva Kiir’s decision to commence the reconstitution of state legislative assemblies.
In a statement on Sunday, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO), Edmund Yakani, said the Friday move marked another achievement in the peace process.
“State parliaments play essential roles in the spirit of genuine implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS),” Yakani said.
On Friday, President Salva Kiir issued four separate decrees reconstituting state parliaments of Western and Central Equatoria, Lakes, and Upper Nile states.
The president also named speakers and their deputies in three states: Western and Central Equatoria and the Upper Nile States. However, he only appointed the deputy speaker for Lakes State.
In the Presidential Decrees, President Kiir appointed Wakila Charles on the ticket of SPLM-IG as the speaker of Western Equatoria State and Simon Sebit Peter represent SPLM-IO as her deputy.
Another SPLM-IO member, Peter Wani Elia, was named the speaker of the Central Equatoria State Legislative Assembly deputised by Dr Salam Al-Haj Baballah, who represents the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA).
In Upper Nile State, President Kiir appointed a member of SPLM-IG, Chuol Dep Kier, as the speaker and his deputy Pal Ruath Dup from the SPLM-IO party.
The president then appointed the deputy speaker of Lakes State Legislative Assembly, Ayiin Amel Adior, representing SPLM-IG while the position of the speaker remains vacant.
The appointments include different parties to the agreement such as SPLM-IG, SPLM-IO, SSOA, and Other Opposition Parties (OPP).
This marks the first step in reconstituting state Members of Parliament.
But Mr Yakani called on the coalition government to expedite the formation of legislatures in the remaining six states, namely: Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Western and Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, and the Warrap States and Rwueng, Abyei and Pibor Administrative Areas.
Mr Yakani called upon the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) at the national government to avail both political and financial support for the states and political-administrative governments to play an effective role in the implementation of the peace accord.
Yakani also urged all parties to enforce 35 per cent affirmative action for women during the selection of committee chairpersons and their deputies in the state assemblies.
“CEPO and its partners will roll out sensitization on the R-ARCSS in state and political-administrative area assemblies, including developing states and political-administrative areas frameworks for engagement with citizens,” stressed Yakani.
Under the 2018 revitalised peace deal, the responsibility sharing ratio at state and local government levels are 55 per cent for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM); 27 per cent for the armed opposition (SPLM/A-IO); 10 per cent for South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) and 8 per cent for the Other Political Parties (OPP).