JUBA, South Sudan – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has introduced a 20-year continuous membership requirement for candidates seeking party leadership positions, effectively excluding recent defectors and members who previously withdrew from the movement.
Duluma Maker, technical secretary of the SPLM High-Level Committee for State Primaries and Congresses, said candidates seeking positions such as party chairperson and secretary at all levels must have maintained uninterrupted membership without switching allegiance to other political groups.
“For party position, that is chairperson, secretary, at all levels, we expect any candidate for such position to have been SPLM member for at least 20 years. Continuously, without withdrawing here in the middle, or switching sides, or defecting in the simple term,” Maker said.
He said the requirement was intended to ensure that candidates had a long-standing commitment to the party and a reputable record within the movement.
The rule applies to leadership positions at county level and above, meaning individuals who joined the SPLM in recent years will not qualify to contest those positions.
The committee has also set education and criminal record requirements for leadership candidates. Maker said anyone seeking a position at county level or above must have completed at least secondary education and must not have a criminal conviction issued by a competent court.
He said the party leadership discouraged candidates facing pending criminal cases from continuing in the contest unless they were cleared by a court.
The committee also requires candidates to secure nominations and support from at least two or three members of the congress in which they intend to contest.
Maker said the party had introduced non-refundable nomination fees, with candidates required to pay different amounts depending on the leadership position they seek.
Candidates who withdraw from the race will not recover their nomination fees or submitted documents, he said, adding that the money would remain party resources at the respective level.
The requirements form part of the SPLM’s preparations for internal party elections. The committee has also outlined separate qualification criteria for party members seeking parliamentary and gubernatorial positions.
