JUBA: President Salva Kiir has dissolved South Sudan’s transitional government, removing five vice presidents and disbanding national and state governments. The dramatic move comes just three months before the Dec. 22 elections. The vote will be the country’s first national election since it gained independence in 2011.
The move came hours after Kiir signed amendments to the country’s election law that removed requirements for a permanent constitution and a national census to be completed before elections. The changes are intended to clear legal obstacles that have delayed the vote.
Under the new law, Kiir will remain president during the election period until a newly elected president takes office. He also appointed interim ministers and governors to run the government while election preparations continue.
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan but has yet to hold a national election since independence. Elections that were originally expected earlier were postponed, while the country’s transitional period was extended several times.
Kiir’s decision ends the transitional power-sharing arrangement established under a 2018 peace agreement that helped end years of civil war. The agreement brought together Kiir’s government and opposition groups, including forces linked to his longtime political rival, Riek Machar.
Machar, the suspended first vice president and leader of the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition, has been under house arrest since March 2025. He is facing charges including treason and murder, which he denies.
The latest changes have drawn attention because Kiir will retain executive authority while the country moves toward the December election. Analysts cited by international media have raised concerns about the concentration of power under the new legal arrangements.
Security was also tightened in the capital, Juba, following the announcement. Security forces were reported around government buildings, with checkpoints and road restrictions reported near parts of the government complex.
Kiir also replaced the head of the National Elections Commission last week without publicly giving a reason. The newly appointed election chief, Gabriel Bol Deng Majok, has been tasked with overseeing preparations for the vote.
The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, which oversees implementation of the 2018 peace agreement, described the country as being at a critical turning point.
It said important issues linked to the peace agreement remain unresolved as South Sudan prepares for elections and seeks to end its long-running transitional period.
The election process still faces major challenges, including voter registration, constitutional reforms and other unfinished parts of the peace agreement. Authorities are now working toward the upcoming vote as the country attempts to move from transitional rule to an elected government.
