South Sudanese Lawyers Challenge President’s Postponement of Elections in Supreme Court

A group of South Sudanese lawyers has filed a case with the country’s Supreme Court, challenging President Salva Kiir’s recent decision to delay elections and extend the transitional government’s term for an additional two years.

The legal team argues that the move is unconstitutional and demands that elections be held as originally scheduled.

The announcement to extend the transitional period was made just ten days ago by President Kiir’s office, marking the second postponement of elections, which were initially delayed in 2022.

The elections, originally set for December, have now been pushed back by two more years. The cabinet endorsed the decision, and parliament ratified it late last week without any alterations.

On Monday, the group of lawyers, led by Deng John Deng, presented their case to the Supreme Court, calling for the court to declare the extension “null and void.”

Deng spoke to the media after filing the case, stating, “As lawyers, we think that this extension is unconstitutional, is illegal and we (are) demanding our government to conduct elections within the time-frame.”

The government has yet to issue a formal response to the legal challenge. Michael Makuei, the information minister and government spokesperson, declined to comment when asked about the lawsuit.

This delay in the election has raised concerns among international peace guarantors, who have expressed their disappointment in the government’s failure to implement key provisions of the 2018 peace agreement.

This accord was supposed to bring lasting peace to South Sudan after five years of devastating conflict, which led to hundreds of thousands of deaths. Despite the formal peace established in 2018, tensions and violence between rival communities continue to flare up regularly in the country.

The case now sits with South Sudan’s top court, where the lawyers hope their constitutional challenge will prompt the government to adhere to the original electoral schedule.

The outcome of this legal battle could have significant implications for the country’s ongoing transition and its fragile peace process.