SOUTH SUDAN: Parliament Registers MPs As Session Reopening Approaches

By Deborah Akur Chol, South Sudan

The Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) of South Sudan, has commenced the registration of lawmakers, as they prepare to return from a three-month recess, though the formal reopening of parliament is still pending.

The TNLA, formed under the revitalized peace agreement of 2018, had adjourned in December, and was originally slated to reconvene in early April.

However, the reopening has been postponed without any official explanation provided.

TNLA spokesperson Oliver Mori Benjamin announced on Monday, that the registration process is now in effect.

“We have initiated the registration of the members, and once we achieve the necessary quorum, the parliament will be opened,” Benjamin stated.

“The quorum requires the presence of half of the 550 members plus one additional member.”

According to parliamentary regulations, the TNLA which consists of 550 members, can only resume its sessions once at least half of the members are registered.

“Prior to any reopening, it is customary for members to register. Once we reach half of the total membership, sessions can officially commence,” Benjamin elaborated.

The push to reopen the assembly comes amidst rising security and political tensions following the house arrest of Vice President Riek Machar on March 26.

His party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), has asserted that his detention jeopardizes the already fragile 2018 peace agreement, which ended five years of conflict.

Last week, a faction of SPLM-IO members in Juba appointed Minister of Peacebuilding Stephen Par Kuol as interim leader; however, senior officials from the party boycotted this appointment.

Kuol has indicated he will lead the party temporarily until Machar is released.

It remains uncertain if the ongoing internal dispute within the SPLM-IO will further delay the reopening of parliament.

The national assembly is comprised of 332 members from the SPLM, 128 from the SPLM-IO, 50 from the SSOA, 30 from the OPP, and 10 from the Former Detainees group.