Gov’t denies cabinet, parliament will be dissolved as transitional period ends

JUBA, FEBRUARY 22^nd 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan’s government on Tuesday denied rumors circulating on social media that the parties to the revitalized peace agreement will dissolve the government and the parliament as transitional period ends today.

The thirty-six months transitional period provided for in the revitalized peace agreement ends today, January 22^nd 2023. The parties in August last year met and agreed to extend the transitional period for at least 24 more months.

Since then, there have been a lot of speculations on social media that President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny – both of whom are main signatories to the 2018 peace deal – have agreed to dissolve the government and the parliament.

But speaking during a press conference conducted in Juba on Tuesday, information minister and government spokesman Michael Makuei Lueth said that the government and the parliament will not be dissolved, adding that the structure of the parliament will not be affected.

“People have been receiving so many wild rumors and this is the root cause of this press conference. There have been a lot of wild rumors that the parliament will be dissolved and it will be reduced to 250 members and that the vice presidents will be reduced to two and that James Wani Igga will be going to the parliament and that the executive will be reduced to 19 and so forth,” he said.

“There are so many wild rumors. We are not touching any parts of the provisions of the agreement, we are not violating the agreement but extending the period only in order to enable us to implement the unimplemented parts, that is all,” he added.