POLITICAL CHALLENGES
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Image by Steve Evans
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
Currently, South Sudan is in a state of political gridlock. The president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, pictured at left, has feuded with his former allies and postponed democratic elections.
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It seems as though to implement a system independent of the federal government would encourage the ire of the government under the current political climate, whether government is headed by Mayardit or by his first vice president and political opponent, Riek Machar.
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) rose to power as the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), a central figure in the struggle for independence. Since independence, the SPLM under Salva Kiir has occupied the upper echelons of South Sudanese government. Even the primary opposition under Riek Machar bills itself as the SPLM-IO (SPLM in Opposition).
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The SPLM administration has been plagued by rampant misuse of funds and corruption, along with the provocation of a civil war between the two factions of the SPLM.
Image by Al Jazeera English
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
The Kush Democratic Majority Party
A better solution in South Sudan would be achieved by one of the few third-party candidates calling for free elections. One such candidate is Bol Gai Deng, a candidate of the Kush Democratic Majority Party running from his home in Richmond, Virginia.
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Bol Gai Deng pictured at left as photographed by Julia Rendleman for the Washington Post
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Deng has consistently called for democratic elections, which could usher in an administration more willing to cooperate internationally and better able to use the limited funds it has.