South Sudan’s parliament on Tuesday barred journalists and members of the public from a sitting where lawmakers began debating proposed constitutional amendments ahead of the December elections.
Speaker Joseph Paciko Ngere ordered the media and public to leave the chamber as lawmakers began the second reading of Constitution Amendment Bill No. 13.
Ngere cited national security, sovereignty, public order and social stability, invoking Parliamentary Regulation 24 to close the sitting.
“Media, out. All everybody there, out,” Ngere told journalists and members of the public.
The bill seeks to amend the Transitional Constitution to align it with the electoral timetable, including presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December 22, 2026.
Among the proposed changes is the removal of legal requirements linking elections to the adoption of a permanent constitution and completion of a national population and housing census.
The bill also proposes a five-year term for an elected president.
The government says the changes are intended to remove legal obstacles to the elections and align the constitution with the 2018 peace agreement.
However, opposition groups and international partners have raised concerns over whether security conditions and electoral institutions are adequate for a credible and inclusive vote.
South Sudan has repeatedly postponed elections since independence in 2011, with the current transitional period due to expire in February 2027.
