By Yiep Joseph
Secretary-General (SG) of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), Peter Lam Both stated that President Salva Kiir’s candidacy for the 2026 election will be officially made during the Party’s National convention yet to be conducted.
“National Convention will be held in which our chairman (Salva Kiir) will be formally elected as the flag bearer of SPLM,” Lam said while addressing party members during the swearing-in ceremony of state chairpersons for Warrap and Western Equatoria states.
Mr. Lam said the past endorsement was meant to engage the party’s intention to elect President Kiir as party flag bearer.
“Endorsements that we have been doing are not a substitute for legal processes in the party, but they are a political way of engaging our members to know that our chairman is comrade Salva and is the one we will be elected when we go for the convention, the third convention of the SPLM,” he said.
He urged party members to get ready for the primaries and the convention. However, Secretary General Lam did not specify the exact date for the SPLM convention.
He mentioned that the party has developed an election plan outlining and gathering what should be achieved in the coming terms.
“We have developed an election agenda that will be workshopped with all of you to put your import as what the SPLM will be working to achieve in the net terms coming,” he said.
“The other one is to prepare ourselves for the congresses and conventions of the SPLM; all of you will be subject to that process,” he added.
The Secretary-General appealed to the members to remain united to win all seats during the elections.
“I wanted you to know that if you do not prepare yourself, anybody can emerge; it may not even be a party, so you must unite yourself,” he said.
“Nobody will be appointed to impose on people; it is the constituency of the SPLM to decide who they want to run that time,” he added.
He reiterated that the extension was due to some challenges, such as a lack of funds. However, he assured the masses that it would occur in 2026 as planned.
Past endorsement and convention
In December 2022, the SPLM party endorsed President Salva Kiir as their candidate for the postponed 2024 elections.
This was reached in a 4-day National Liberation Council (NLC), conference in Juba, during which members anonymously nominated Kiir to become the party’s flag bearer.
However, in September this year, the parties to the peace agreement reached a decision and extended the election to 2026.