Government & politics — South Sudan

• history: previous 2005 (preindependence); latest signed 7 July 2011, effective 9 July 2011 (Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011); note - new constitution pe
• nding establishment under the 2018 peace agreement amendments: proposed by the National Legislature or by the president of the republic; passage requires submission of the proposal to the Legislature at least one month prior to consideration, approval by at least two-thirds majority vote in both houses of the Legislature, and assent of the president; amended 2013, 2015, 2018

• chief of state: President Salva KIIR Mayardit (since 9 July 2011); Vice Presidents Riek MACHAR Teny Dhurgon, TABAN Deng Gai, James Wani IGGA, Rebecca Nyandeng Chol GARANG de Mabior, Hussein ABDELBAGI Ayii (all since 22 February 2020); note - the president is
• both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Salva KIIR Mayardit (since 9 July 2011); Vice Presidents Riek MACHAR Teny Dhurgon, TABAN Deng Gai, James Wani IGGA, Rebecca Nyandeng Chol GARANG de Mabior,
• Hussein ABDELBAGI Ayii (all since 22 February 2020) cabinet: National Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Tran
• sitional National Legislative Assembly elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 11 to 15 April 2010 (originally scheduled for 2015 but postponed several times,
• currently to be held in December 2024) election results: 2010: Salva KIIR Mayardit elected leader of then-Southern Sudan; percent of vote - Salva KIIR Mayardit (SPLM) 93%, Lam AKOL (SPLM-DC) 7%

Description

bicameral National Legislature consists of: Council of States, pending establishment as stipulated by the 2018 peace deal Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), established on 4 August 2016, in accordance with the August 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan;

Note

• originally 400 seats
• the TNLA was expanded to 550 members from 400 and reestablished in May 2020 under the 2018 peace agreement

Elections

• Council of States - pending establishment as stipulated by the 2018 peace deal Transitional National Legislative Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA
• seats by party - 332 SPLM, 128 SPLM-IO, 90 other political parties;

Composition

NA

Election Results

• Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA
• seats by party - SPLM 20, unknown 30
• composition as of February 2024 - men 57, women 27, percentage women 32.1% National Legislative Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA
• seats by party - SPLM 251, DCP 10, independent 6, unknown 133;

Composition

• men 372, women 178, percentage women 32.4%
• total National Legislature percentage women 32.3%

• highest court(s): Supreme Court of South Sudan (consists of a chief justice, deputy chief justice, and 5 additional justices); note - consistent with the 2008 Judiciary Act, the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan calls for 9, rather
• than 5 additional justices judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the president (the 2011 Transitional Constitution of South Sudan calls for the establishment of a Judicial Service Council to recommend prospective justices to the president, and for the justices' tenures to be set by the National Legislature; neither of these steps have be
• en effectively implemented as of mid-2023) subordinate courts: national level - Courts of Appeal; High Courts; County Courts; state level - High Courts; County Courts; customary courts;
• other specialized courts and tribunals Note: in mid-2022, the Government of South Sudan inaugurated an Ad-hoc Judiciary Committee, a 12-member body led by two eminent jurists, which is charged with reviewing relevant laws, advising on judicial reform and restructuring of the judiciary

Summary

10 states

Regions or States

• Central Equatoria
• Eastern Equatoria
• Jonglei
• Lakes
• Northern Bahr el Ghazal
• Unity
• Upper Nile
• Warrap
• Western Bahr el Ghazal
• Western Equatoria; note - in 2015
• the creation of 28 new states was announced and in 2017 four additional states; following the February 2020 peace agreement
• the country was again reorganized into the 10 original states
• plus 2 administrative areas
• Pibor and Ruweng
• and 1 special administrative status area
• Abyei (which is disputed between South Sudan and Sudan); this latest administrative revision has not yet been vetted by the US Board on Geographic Names

• Democratic Change or DC Democratic Forum or DF Labour Party or LPSS [Federico Awi VUNI]
• South Sudan Opposition Alliance or SSOA [Hussein ABDELBAGI Ayii]
• Sudan African National Union or SANU [Toby MADOUT]
• Sudan People's Liberation Movement or SPLM [Salva KIIR Mayardit]
• Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition or SPLM-IO [Riek MACHAR Teny Dhurgon]
• United Democratic Salvation Front or UDSF United South Sudan African Party or USSAP [Louis Pasquale ALEU, Secretary]
• United South Sudan Party or USSP [Paulino LUKUDU Obede]

• no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent
• yes residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

chief of mission

Ambassador Michael J. ADLER (since 24 August 2022) embassy: Kololo Road adjacent to the EU's compound, Juba mailing address: 4420 Juba Place, Washington DC 20521-4420

telephone

[211] 912-105-188

Email address and website

• ACSJuba@state.gov
• https://ss.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Angong ACUIL (since 13 December 2023)

chancery

1015 31st Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20007

telephone

[1] (202) 600-2238

FAX

[1] (202) 644-9910

Email address and website

• info.ssdembassy@gmail.com
• https://www.southsudanembassyusa.org/