Legal System of South Sudan

South Sudan is located in Africa. It is geographically situated in east-central africa; south of sudan, north of uganda and kenya, west of ethiopia. The country achieved independence on 9 july 2011 (from sudan). The capital is Juba.

Government Overview

Government Type: presidential republic Chief of State: President Salva KIIR Mayardit (since 9 July 2011) Head of Government: President Salva KIIR Mayardit (since 9 July 2011) Cabinet: National Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Transitional National Legislative Assembly Administrative Divisions: 10 states; Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Lakes, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, Upper Nile, Warrap, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Western Equatoria National Holiday: Independence Day, 9 July (2011) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: previous 2005 (pre-independence); latest signed 7 July 2011, effective 9 July 2011 (Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011) Amendment Process: proposed by the National Legislature or by the president of the republic; passage requires submission of the proposal to the Legislature at least one month prior to consideration, approval by at least two-thirds majority vote in both houses of the Legislature, and assent of the president

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court of South Sudan (consists of a chief justice, deputy chief justice, and 5 additional justices); the 2011 Transitional Constitution of South Sudan calls for 9, rather than 5 additional justices Judge Selection: the 2011 Transitional Constitution of South Sudan calls for the establishment of a Judicial Service Council to recommend prospective justices to the president, and for the justices’ tenures to be set by the National Legislature Subordinate Courts: national level - Courts of Appeal; High Courts; County Courts; state level - High Courts; County Courts; customary courts; other specialized courts and tribunals

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of bicameral Lower Chamber: Transitional National Legislative Assembly (Al-Majlis Al-Tachirii) (550 (all appointed) seats) Upper Chamber: Council of States (Al-Watani)

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of South Sudan Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, is the world’s newest country. Home to a diverse array of mainly Nilotic ethnolinguistic groups that settled in the territory in the 15th through 19th centuries, South Sudanese society is heavily dependent on seasonal migration and seasonal fluctuations in precipitation. Modern-day South Sudan was conquered first by Egypt and later ruled jointly by Egyptian-British colonial administrators in the late 19th century.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of South Sudan based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.