From a Transitional to a Permanent Constitution: Views of Men and Women in South Sudan on Constitution-Making

South Sudan faces yet another crossroads in its history as a young nation. The six months between the January 2011 referendum and independence on July 9, 2011, did not allow enough time for South Sudanese to consider and discuss fully many important constitutional issues. The Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan 2011 allowed the country to become independent, but now the country is embarking on a more inclusive, participatory and transparent process that will result in a new and permanent constitution.

This study, based on 46 focus group discussions conducted from November 7-17, 2012 with 600 participants across all ten states of South Sudan, is intended to provide policy-makers with an additional source of information about citizens views on the best process for developing the permanent constitution as well as their opinions on key constitutional issues.