Year of Publication
2013
NGO associated?
✖
Summary
South Sudan is a republic operating under a transitional constitution signed into
law upon declaration of independence from Sudan in July 2011. The country was
led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, whose authority derives from his 2010
election as president of what was then the semiautonomous region of Southern
Sudan within the Republic of Sudan. While the 2010 Sudan-wide elections did not
wholly meet international standards, international observers believed that Kiir’s
election reflected the popular will of a large majority of Southern Sudanese.
International observers considered the January 2011 referendum on South
Sudanese self-determination, in which 98 percent of voters chose to break from
Sudan, to be free and fair. President Kiir is a founding member of the Sudan
People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) political party, the political wing of the
Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). SPLM representatives controlled 19 of
the 21 ministries and 298 of 332 seats in the bicameral legislature, which consists
of the National Assembly and the Council of States, and nine of 10 state
governorships. The legislature lacked independence and was dominated by the
ruling party. Authorities failed at times to maintain effective control over the
security forces. Security forces committed human rights violations.
law upon declaration of independence from Sudan in July 2011. The country was
led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, whose authority derives from his 2010
election as president of what was then the semiautonomous region of Southern
Sudan within the Republic of Sudan. While the 2010 Sudan-wide elections did not
wholly meet international standards, international observers believed that Kiir’s
election reflected the popular will of a large majority of Southern Sudanese.
International observers considered the January 2011 referendum on South
Sudanese self-determination, in which 98 percent of voters chose to break from
Sudan, to be free and fair. President Kiir is a founding member of the Sudan
People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) political party, the political wing of the
Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). SPLM representatives controlled 19 of
the 21 ministries and 298 of 332 seats in the bicameral legislature, which consists
of the National Assembly and the Council of States, and nine of 10 state
governorships. The legislature lacked independence and was dominated by the
ruling party. Authorities failed at times to maintain effective control over the
security forces. Security forces committed human rights violations.