Lawmakers in South Sudan have voted to extend the tenure of President Salva Kiir by three more years.
The proposal to extend Kiir’s term, which was set to expire in July, had been endorsed by Kiir’s Cabinet, which then forwarded the measure to parliament.
Lawmaker Thomas Kundu, who heads parliament’s information committee, told The Associated Press that the measure, passed by more than two-thirds of lawmakers on Tuesday, also extends the tenure of the legislature.
He said the measure was necessary for stability amid a rebellion led by Kiir’s former deputy, Riek Machar.
South Sudan has been at war since December 2013 when government forces in the capital, Juba, appeared to splinter along ethnic lines.
South Sudan became independent in 2011 when it cleaved off from Sudan after a referendum.
