Parliament votes to extend President's term

South Sudan's Parliament has voted to extend President Salva Kiir's term in office until 2021 amid failure to hold elections this year. A BBC News report notes Kiir has been in power since South Sudan's independence in 2011 and elections in 2015 were also postponed. The move could undermine ongoing peace talks aimed at ending almost five years of civil war in the country. Last month Kiir signed a deal with his rival Riek Machar in which both agreed to a permanent ceasefire. The agreement was supposed to be followed by further negotiations and the setting up of a power-sharing government – Machar re-appointed as a vice-president and other opposition politicians also taking up positions in an expanded Cabinet. Kiir's critics accuse him of being an authoritarian ruler clinging to power. He denies the allegation.

Full BBC News report