A South Sudanese observer said the legitimacy of the coalition government derived from a power-sharing agreement is due to expire next year.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, South Sudanese scholar and former government minister Luka Biong Deng said the transitional constitution of 2011 doesn’t give the coalition government legitimacy.
“The peace agreement was supposed to be incorporated into the constitution so that it can be the legal document,” he said.
Luka, who is former Director at the University of Juba's Centre for Peace and Development Studies, said it will be very difficult for the current government to restore its legitimacy through the planned elections in 2018 because many countries agreed that South Sudan’s situation is not conducive to conduct free and fair elections.
He urged the unity government to focus on the revitalization process led by the East African regional bloc IGAD.
Last week, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) released a timetable for the revitalization forum to start consultations with South Sudanese leaders this month.
A summit of IGAD heads of state and government in June decided to convene a high-level revitalization forum to discuss concrete measures to restore a permanent ceasefire and achieve full peace implementation in South Sudan.