South Sudan president Salva Kiir will rule for three more years, parliament has ruled Tuesday, after elections due to be held in June were called off and negotiations to end more than a year of internal conflict broke up without agreement.
The 270 members of parliament present voted to amend the country’s transitional 2011 constitution to extend the presidential and parliamentary term until July 9, 2018, with 264 members in favour and just a few opposing it.
South Sudan has experienced some of the world’s deadly wars where thousands of people have been killed and more than a million have fled their homes.
The war between supporters of Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar erupted in the world’s newest nation in December 2013.
Kiir and Machar had agreed February on the outlines of a power-sharing deal, and they had hoped to reach a final accord by the end of March.
But with Kiir receiving immense support to extend his presidential term, talks with Machar appear stalled, and fighting continues.
