National Legislature (South Sudan) Explained

Transitional National Legislature of South Sudan
House Type:	Bicameral
Houses:	Transitional Council of States (upper house) Transitional National Legislative Assembly (lower house)
Leader1 Type:	Speaker (Council of States)
Election1:	2 August 2021
Leader2 Type:	Speaker (Assembly)
Election2:	2 August 2021
Structure1:	South Sudan Council of States 2021.svg
Structure1 Res:	250px
Structure1 Alt:	South Sudan Council of States 2021.svg
Structure2:	South_Sudan_Parliament_2021.svg
Structure2 Res:	250px
Political Groups1:	SPLM (46) SPLM-IO (27) SSOA (10) Independents (9) Vacants (8)
Political Groups2:	SPLM (332) SPLM-IO (128) SSOA (50) Independents (30) Former detainees (10)
Last Election2:	2010 Southern Sudanese general election (elections to predecessor body)

The Transitional National Legislature of South Sudan^[1] is the legislature of South Sudan. The Transitional National Legislature consists of the Transitional Council of States (upper house) and the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (lower house).

The National Legislature has its seat in Juba, South Sudan.

Role

The legislative competencies of the National Government of South Sudan are vested in the National Legislature in respect of all matters assigned to it in Schedules A, C and D of the Transitional Constitution (read together with Schedule E of the Transitional Constitution).^[2] The National Legislative Assembly exercises the following functions^[3]

• Overseeing the performance of the National Government institutions;
• Approving plans, programmes and policies of the National Government;

Approving budgets;

• Ratifying international treaties, conventions and agreements;
• Adopting resolutions on matters of public concerns;
• Summoning Ministers to answer questions of members of the Assembly on matters related to their ministries;
• Interrogating Ministers about their performance or the performance of their ministries;
• Approving appointments as required by the Transitional Constitution or the law;
• Casting a vote of no confidence against the Vice President and any Minister;
• Enacting legislation to regulate the conditions and terms of service of the Judiciary and its oversight mechanisms; and
• Performing any other function as determined by the Transitional Constitution or the law.

Eligibility

A candidate for membership of the National Legislature must:

• be a South Sudanese citizen;
• be at least twenty-one years of age;
• be of sound mind;
• be literate; and
• not have been convicted during the last seven years of an offence involving honesty or moral turpitude.

Members of the National Legislature and the Council of Ministers are eligible for membership of state legislatures or state councils of ministers. A member of the National Legislative Assembly cannot also be a member of the Council of States (and vice versa). The term of the National Legislature shall be four years from July 9, 2011.^[4] The Constitution is a transitional Constitution and the terms relating to future general elections are not contained in it. However, there are provisions included for by-elections should vacancies arise during the first four-year period.

History

The establishment of the National Legislature is one of the new institutions created upon the independence of South Sudan in 2011. In substance, it is also a successor to the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly, itself established in 2005 by the Constitution of Southern Sudan.

General elections will be held in 2024.

See also

• Bicameralism
• Legislative branch
• List of legislatures by country
• Politics of South Sudan

Notes and References

1. Art. 55(1) of the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan gives the body its name stating - "There shall be established a National Legislature..."
2. Art. 55(2) of the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan
3. Web site: Account Suspended. www.goss.org. 2015-08-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225709/http://www.goss.org/index.php/legislative-assembly. 2016-03-03. dead.
4. Art. 66 of the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan