South Sudan president makes major move ahead of country’s first elections

South Sudan President Salva Kiir has dissolved the government three months before the country’s first selections-a significant political development as arrangements for the vote continue, as the country has repeatedly deferred elections and extended the interim phase several times.

Under the revised legislation signed on Monday, Kirr removed the country’s five vice-presidents and dissolved parliament along with national and state governments.

Kiir, being the presidential candidate of his Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) faces no central figures, has announced plans to challenge him in the December poll. The main opposition leader Riek Machar was dismissed as vice-president last year and charged with treason.

According to reports, Kirr will remain in office with absolute legal authority until an elected president is sworn in. Notably, he also designated interim ministers and governors in caretaker positions until the 22 December elections.

Following Tuesday’s announcement heightened security measures were reported in the capital Juba;though soldiers from the army and national security services restricted access to government ministries. Kiir last week ousted the chairman of the national elections commission.

The body which directs the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement, Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, said South Sudan had entered a turning point. It further said crucial negotiations pursuant to the accord were left unresolved towards credible elections and a peaceful end to the enduring transitional phase following independence.