South Sudan

=== Government ===
[[File:President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Salva Kiir Mayardit]], the first President of South Sudan. His trademark [[Stetson|Stetson hat]] was a gift from United States President [[George W. Bush]].]]
[[File:South Sudan Independence.jpg|thumb|South Sudan's presidential guard on Independence Day, 2011]]
The now-defunct [[Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly]] ratified a [[Constitution of South Sudan|transitional constitution]]<ref name="transconstit">{{cite web|url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4e269a3e2.html|title=The Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011|access-date=12 July 2011|publisher=Government of South Sudan}}</ref> shortly before independence on 9 July 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sudantribune.com/South-Sudan-passes-interim,39457|title=South Sudan passes interim constitution amid concerns over presidential powers|date=8 July 2011|work=[[Sudan Tribune]]|access-date=24 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711141830/http://www.sudantribune.com/South-Sudan-passes-interim,39457|archive-date=11 July 2011}}</ref> The constitution was signed by the [[President of South Sudan]], [[Salva Kiir Mayardit]], on Independence Day and thereby came into force. It is now the supreme law of the land, superseding the Interim Constitution of 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gurtong.brandx.eu/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=1atewJwi6UU=&tabid=341|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720154147/http://gurtong.brandx.eu/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=1atewJwi6UU=&tabid=341|archive-date=20 July 2011|title=The Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan of 2005}}</ref>

The constitution establishes a [[presidential system]] of government headed by a president who is [[head of state]], [[head of government]], and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. It also establishes the [[National Legislature of South Sudan|National Legislature]] comprising two houses: a directly elected assembly, the [[National Legislative Assembly of South Sudan|National Legislative Assembly]], and a second chamber of representatives of the states, the [[Council of States of South Sudan|Council of States]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Henneberg|first=Ingo|date=2013|title=Das politische System des Südsudan|language=German|trans-title=The Political System of South Sudan|journal=Verfassung und Recht in Übersee / Law and Politics in Africa, Asia and Latin America|volume=46|issue=2|pages=174–196|doi=10.5771/0506-7286-2013-2-174|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305220861|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618125722/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305220861_The_Political_System_of_South_Sudan_2011_p_196|archive-date=18 June 2018|doi-access=free}}</ref>

[[John Garang]], one of the founders of the SPLA/M, was the president of the autonomous government until his death on 30 July 2005. [[Salva Kiir Mayardit]],<ref name="factbook">{{cite web |date=11 July 2011 |title=South Sudan |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/south-sudan/ |access-date=14 July 2011 |work=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[CIA]]}}</ref> his deputy, was sworn in as [[List of Vice Presidents of Sudan|First Vice President of Sudan]] and [[List of presidents of South Sudan|President of the Government of Southern Sudan]] on 11 August 2005. [[Riek Machar]]<ref name="factbook" /> replaced him as [[List of Vice-Presidents of the Government of South Sudan|Vice-President of the Government]]. Legislative power is vested in the government and the bicameral National Legislature. The constitution also provides for an independent judiciary, the highest organ being the [[Supreme court|Supreme Court]].

On 8 May 2021, South Sudan President [[Salva Kiir]] announced a dissolution of Parliament as part of a 2018 peace deal to set up a new legislative body that will number 550 lawmakers.<ref>{{cite news|title=South Sudan president dissolves parliament as part of peace deal|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/9/south-sudan-president-dissolves-parliament-as-part-of-peace-deal|agency=Al Jazeera|date=9 May 2021}}</ref> According to 2023 [[V-Dem Democracy indices]] South Sudan is 3rd lowest ranked [[democracy in Africa|electoral democracy in Africa]].<ref name="vdem_dataset">{{cite web |last=V-Dem Institute |date=2023 |title=The V-Dem Dataset |url=https://www.v-dem.net/data/the-v-dem-dataset/ |access-date=14 October 2023}}</ref>