South Sudan's parliament passes constitutional amendment bill

By Benjamin Takpiny

JUBA, South Sudan (AA) - South Sudan’s reconstituted National Legislative Assembly passed the long-awaited Transitional Constitutional Amendment Bill 2021 on Monday.

Bill No. 8 will provide for the establishment of the National Constitutional Amendment Committee (NCAC), a body that will spearhead constitutional reforms.

It also aims at creating a permanent constitution that will pave the way for general elections by the end of the transitional period in 2023.

The bill also guarantees good governance, constitutionalism, the rule of law, human rights and gender equality.

Hon. Paul Yoane Bonju, the chairman of the Information Committee in the reconstituted parliament, said the bill was passed after thorough deliberation by members of parliament.

“The two houses that are the Transitional National Legislative Assembly deliberated on the report of the Ad-hoc Committee on Amendment of the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011 [as amended] Amendment No. 8, bill 2021 in its second reading. But because of the bill’s importance and urgency, the house has taken it through all the stages in this sitting,” Bonju told journalists after the parliamentary sitting in Juba.

Bonju said parliament is expected to adopt and pass constitutional amendment No. 9 for changing the name of organized forces in its next sitting slated for Tuesday.

“Amendment bill No. 8 has been passed today, and in tomorrow's sitting, the house will be deliberating amendment No. 9 connected to changes in the number of some of our organized forces,” he said.

He added that the bill will be presented to President Salva Kiir for his approval, thus making it law.

“Based on the conduct of business, the clerk is going to prepare an engrossment letter, and this letter is going to be signed by the speaker addressed to the office of the president, and it is in the office of the president that he is going to sign on this bill to become law,” said Bonju.