SPLM Sets 20-Year Membership Requirement for Party Leadership Candidates

By Awan Achiek

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has introduced a minimum requirement of 20 years of uninterrupted party membership for individuals seeking leadership positions at all levels, including chairperson and secretary, ahead of its internal elections.

Duluma Maker, Technical Secretary of the SPLM High-Level Committee for State Primaries and Congresses, stated that candidates must provide proof of consistent party membership, without any withdrawals, defections, or shifts in allegiance to other political groups.

“For positions such as chairperson and secretary at any level, we expect candidates to have been SPLM members for at least 20 years continuously, without any breaks, switching sides, or defections,” Maker explained during the opening of the SPLM primaries and congress in Rumbek East County on Wednesday.

He emphasized that this requirement aims to ensure that prospective leaders have a long-standing commitment and established reputation within the party.

“A candidate should have been a regular party member for a minimum of 20 years. We do not want someone who joined five years ago or just recently to run for a leadership position,” he added.

Maker also mentioned that candidates contesting for leadership roles at the county level and above must have completed at least a secondary education.

“This is strictly enforced by the party leadership. The minimum educational requirement for anyone contesting a position at the county level or above is secondary school completion,” he stated.

Furthermore, Maker noted that candidates must not have any criminal convictions by a competent court of law.

He advised that individuals with pending legal cases should refrain from pursuing candidacy until cleared by the court.

“To qualify as a candidate for a leadership position at the county level or higher, you must have no criminal conviction. If any candidate has an ongoing legal issue, the SPLM leadership does not support their continuation in the contest,” he said.

“Only those cleared by the court regarding any accusations may proceed. Essentially, to be a party leader at any level, one must be nominated and supported by fellow members of the congress they intend to join.”

Maker further explained that candidates seeking leadership positions must be nominated and endorsed by at least two or three other members from their respective congress.

The committee has also established non-refundable nomination fees, with varying amounts based on the level of the position sought.

According to Maker, candidates who withdraw from the race will not be able to reclaim their nomination fees or submitted documents, which will remain as party resources at the respective level.

Attempts to contact the SPLM National Secretariat for clarification on the reported restriction preventing former members of other political parties from contesting leadership positions have been unsuccessful, as party officials have yet to respond to inquiries.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that primaries are proceeding in other states without the same restrictions being publicly announced. The 20-year continuous membership requirement seems to have originated during the party’s activities in Lakes State, where Duluma Maker announced it in Rumbek East County.

The SPLM national secretariat has not yet issued an official statement on whether this requirement applies nationwide or is specific to the ongoing party primaries in Lakes State.