By Bosco Bush
A civil society activist is calling on “top leadership’ to end the practice of replacing deceased members of parliament with their relatives.
Ter Manyang Gatwech, Executive Director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA), argues that this trend undermines democracy and violates the transitional constitution.
Mr Manyang, claims that a significant number of people surprisingly found their way to the National Legislative Assembly through replacement tickets, which resulted in underperformance.
“There are a significant number of Members of Parliament who have obtained their positions through these replacements, which has resulted in a poor representation and a negative image,” he stated in a statement seen by this outlet.
He dismisses the notion that such practices exist in other countries except in South Sudan, asserting that it violates Article 64 of the transitional constitution.
Article 64 (1) of the transitional constitution as Amended states that, when a vacancy occurs in respect of any seat in the National Legislative Assembly or the Council of States, the Speaker of the appropriate House shall, in writing, notify the National Elections Commission within ten days from the occurrence of that vacancy. (2) A by-election to fill the vacancy shall be held by the National Elections Commission within sixty days following occurrence of the vacancy.
In a response to Manyang’s comments, Oliver Mori, spokesperson for the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, dismissed the claims, stating he had “not heard anything about that.”