President of the Republic of South Sudan | |
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Style | His Excellency |
Type | Head of state Head of government |
Member of | Cabinet |
Residence | State House, Juba |
Seat | Juba |
Appointer | Direct popular vote |
Term length | 4 years [1] |
Constituting instrument | Transitional Consistution of South Sudan |
Precursor | President of the Government of Southern Sudan |
Formation | 9 July 2011 |
First holder | Salva Kiir Mayardit |
Deputy | Vice President of South Sudan |
Salary | 45,922,800 SSP / 60,000 USD annually [2] |
Website | www |
Constitution |
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This article lists the heads of state of South Sudan since the establishment of the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region within Sudan in 1972.
The president of the Republic of South Sudan is the head of state and head of government of South Sudan. The president leads the executive branch of the Government of South Sudan and is the commander-in-chief of the South Sudan People's Defence Forces. The official residence of the president is State House, J1.
The region of Southern Sudan (currently the independent republic of South Sudan) became autonomous for the first time, within Sudan, in 1972, through the Addis Ababa Agreement meant to end the First Sudanese Civil War, and its local government had five presidents until 1983, when the Sudanese central government revoked the autonomy. Autonomy was gained again in 2005, through the Comprehensive Peace Agreement meant to end the Second Sudanese Civil War, and the position of president of Southern Sudan was restored. Then, on 9 July 2011, South Sudan became independent and a new constitution was adopted. [1]
Salva Kiir's term as elected president ended in 2015, but constitutional amendments of 2018 and Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) formed in 2020 extended his mandate until 2023 [3] and later 2024. [4]
(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | Elected | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
Southern Sudan Autonomous Region (1972–1983) | |||||||
1 | Abel Alier (born 1933) | 6 April 1972 | February 1978 | 5 years, 9 months | SF | – | |
2 | Joseph Lagu (born 1929) | February 1978 | 12 July 1979 | 1 year, 5 months | SANU | – | |
3 | Peter Gatkuoth (1938–2010) | 12 July 1979 | 30 May 1980 | 323 days | Independent | – | |
(1) | Abel Alier (born 1933) | 30 May 1980 | 5 October 1981 | 1 year, 128 days | SF | – | |
4 | Gismalla Abdalla Rassas (1932–2013) | 5 October 1981 | 23 June 1982 | 261 days | Independent | – | |
5 | Joseph James Tombura (1929–1992) | 23 June 1982 | 5 June 1983 | 347 days | SANU | – | |
Autonomy abolished (5 June 1983 – 9 July 2005) | |||||||
Southern Sudan Autonomous Region (2005–2011) | |||||||
6 | John Garang (1945–2005) [lower-alpha 1] | 9 July 2005 | 30 July 2005 † | 21 days | SPLM | – | |
– | Salva Kiir Mayardit (born 1951) Acting | 30 July 2005 | 11 August 2005 | 12 days | SPLM | – | |
7 | Salva Kiir Mayardit (born 1951) | 11 August 2005 | 9 July 2011 | 5 years, 332 days | SPLM | 2010 | |
Republic of South Sudan (2011–present) | |||||||
(7) | Salva Kiir Mayardit (born 1951) | 9 July 2011 | Incumbent | 13 years, 92 days | SPLM | – |
Note: The President of South Sudan was also First Vice President of the Sudanese national government until 9 July 2011.
Currently, the politics of Sudan takes place in the framework of a federal provisional government. Previously, a president was head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces in a de jure multi-party system. Legislative power was officially vested in both the government and in the two chambers, the National Assembly (lower) and the Council of States (higher), of the bicameral National Legislature. The judiciary is independent and obtained by the Constitutional Court. However, following a deadly civil war and the still ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan was widely recognized as a totalitarian state where all effective political power was held by President Omar al-Bashir and his National Congress Party (NCP). However, al-Bashir and the NCP were ousted in a military coup which occurred on April 11, 2019. The government of Sudan was then led by the Transitional Military Council or TMC. On 20 August 2019, the TMC dissolved giving its authority over to the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, who were planned to govern for 39 months until 2022, in the process of transitioning to democracy. However, the Sovereignty Council and the Sudanese government were dissolved in October 2021.
The Addis Ababa Agreement, also known as the Addis Ababa Accord, was a set of compromises within a 1972 treaty that ended the First Sudanese Civil War (1955–1972) fighting in Sudan. The Addis Ababa accords were incorporated in the Constitution of Sudan.
Dr. John Garang De Mabior was a Sudanese politician and revolutionary leader. From 1983 to 2005, he led the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement as a commander in chief during the Second Sudanese Civil War. He briefly served as First Vice President of Sudan for three weeks, from the comprehensive peace agreement of 2005 until his death in a helicopter crash on July 30, 2005. A developmental economist by profession, Garang was one of the major influences on the movement that led to the foundation of South Sudan’s independence from the rule of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.
The First Sudanese Civil War was fought from 1955 to 1972 between the northern part of Sudan and the southern Sudan region which demanded representation and more regional autonomy. The war was divided into four major stages: initial guerrilla warfare, the creation of the Anyanya insurgency, political strife within the government, and establishment of the South Sudan Liberation Movement. Around a million people died over the course of the nearly 17-year long war.
Salva Kiir Mayardit, also known as Salva Kiir, is a South Sudanese politician who has been the President of South Sudan since its independence on 9 July 2011. Prior to independence, he was the President of the Government of Southern Sudan, as well as First Vice President of Sudan, from 2005 to 2011. He was named Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) in 2005, following the death of John Garang.
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The Sudan People's Liberation Movement is a political party in South Sudan. It was initially founded as the political wing of the Sudan People's Liberation Army in 1983. On January 9, 2005 the SPLA, the SPLM and the Government of Sudan signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, ending the civil war. SPLM then obtained representation in the Government of Sudan, and was the main constituent of the Government of the then semi-autonomous Southern Sudan. When South Sudan became a sovereign state on 9 July 2011, SPLM became the ruling party of the new republic. SPLM branches in Sudan separated themselves from SPLM, forming the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North. Further factionalism appeared as a result of the 2013–2014 South Sudanese Civil War, with President Salva Kiir leading the SPLM-Juba and former Vice President Riek Machar leading the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition.
Joseph Lagu is a South Sudanese military figure and politician. He belongs to the Madi ethnic group of Eastern Equatoria, South Sudan.
The politics of South Sudan concern the system of government in the Republic of South Sudan, a country in East Africa, and the people, organizations, and events involved in it.
Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior is a South Sudanese politician. Who currently served as the 4th Vice President of South Sudan and for Gender and Youth Cluster.
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The Southern Sudan Autonomous Region was an autonomous region that existed in southern Sudan between 1972 and 1983. It was established on 28 February 1972 by the Addis Ababa Agreement which ended the First Sudanese Civil War. The region was abolished on 5 June 1983 by the administration of Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry. Revocation of southern autonomy was one of the causes of the Second Sudanese Civil War which would continue until January 2005, when southern autonomy was restored; the region became the independent Republic of South Sudan in 2011.
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Southern Sudan was an autonomous region consisting of the ten southern states of Sudan between its formation in July 2005 and independence as the Republic of South Sudan in July 2011. The autonomous government was initially established in Rumbek and later moved to Juba. It was bordered by Ethiopia to the east; Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south; and the Central African Republic to the west. To the north lies the predominantly Arab and Muslim region directly under the control of the central government. The region's autonomous status was a condition of a peace agreement between the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) and the Government of Sudan represented by the National Congress Party ending the Second Sudanese Civil War. The conflict was Africa's longest running civil war.
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South Sudan, officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in Central/East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the west by Central African Republic. South Sudan's diverse landscape includes vast plains and plateaus, dry and tropical savannahs, inland floodplains, and forested mountains. The Nile River system is the defining physical feature of the country, running south to north across its center, which is dominated by a large swamp known as the Sudd. South Sudan has a population of 12.7 million. Juba is the capital and largest city.
The history of South Sudan comprises the history of the territory of present-day South Sudan and the peoples inhabiting the region.
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