SPLM Women’s League Signs Constitution, Adopts Five-Year Plan Ahead of Polls

(JUBA)—The ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Women’s League has adopted and signed its first constitution alongside a five-year strategic plan, giving the women’s wing a new framework as the country prepares for general elections in December.

The documents were approved at the close of the Women’s League’s first national constitutional conference in Juba, from Aug. 11 to 14, under the theme “Empowered Woman, Empowered Nation.” The conference brought together delegates from the country’s 10 states and three administrative areas

The conference also adopted a series of political resolutions, including the endorsement of President Salva Kiir Mayardit as chairman of the SPLM and as the party’s sole presidential candidate for the Dec. 22, 2026, general elections.

Central Equatoria State Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare Elizabeth Pita Lugor, who read the conference resolutions, said delegates had overwhelmingly approved the constitution for implementation across the SPLM’s structures.

“We endorse His Excellency Comrade Salva Kiir Mayardit as the sole presidential candidate for the December 22, 2026, general elections,” Lugor said while reading the resolutions.

Beyond the political endorsements, the conference called for nationwide registration of SPLM members and greater representation of the Women’s League in the party’s Political Bureau. It also urged women to mobilize for participation in the elections.

The resolutions further committed the league to promoting peace, reconciliation and healing while condemning intercommunal violence, armed conflict and violence against women and youth.

Mary Apaya Iga, the SPLM’s second deputy chairperson, said the conference had achieved a broader organizational goal by producing both a constitution and a strategic plan covering 2026 to 2031.

“Today is a great day for the SPLM because the women have passed the constitution and they have passed the strategic plan for 2026 to 2031,” she said.

Apayi said the strategic plan covers economic affairs, governance, social welfare, peacebuilding, the rule of law, women’s rights, education and health.

The documents, she said, would provide rules and a framework for guiding the Women’s League and its activities over the next five years.

Apayi also used the occasion to highlight challenges facing women, particularly limited access to financial resources and other economic opportunities.

“Women don’t have access to anything,” she said, arguing that the incomplete implementation of the peace agreement had contributed to the difficulties women face.

She called on the SPLM and the government to address women’s concerns over education, economic opportunities, accountability and transparency.

Apayi also urged women to remain united and press for greater accountability within the ruling party and government.

“Let us unite among ourselves and let us unite the country,” she said.

The conference resolutions included several proposals aimed at improving women’s economic opportunities. Delegates called for women who sell small farm produce, timber, tea, thatching grass, firewood and charcoal to be exempted from taxation.

They also called for the establishment of adult education centers and stronger structures to support and protect women’s rights.

For Women’s League Chairperson Adak Kosta, the adoption of the constitution represented a major step toward strengthening women’s leadership within the ruling party.

“Today we have elevated our women’s leadership to the level of having a constitution and five-year strategic plan,” Kosta said.

She said delegates would return to their respective states and administrative areas to mobilize women, strengthen grassroots structures and prepare members for the elections.

Kosta also appealed to the SPLM chairman to retain the current secretary-general, saying his leadership was important to strengthening the party.

The Party’s Secretary General, Akol Paul Khordit, who represented the SPLM chairman at the closing ceremony, said reorganizing the Women’s League and giving it its own constitution had been a planned objective of the party.

“I told them that the SPLM Women’s League deserves to be reorganized, to draw delegates from the states and to have its own constitution as required by the SPLM constitution,” Khordit said.

He said the SPLM had a central role to play in addressing South Sudan’s political, security, economic and social challenges and urged women to remain united.

The conference comes as South Sudan prepares for elections scheduled for Dec. 22, 2026. With the new constitution and strategic plan in place, the Women’s League is expected to use the framework to strengthen its structures, mobilize members and increase women’s participation ahead of the vote.

The documents also place women’s political representation and access to economic and social opportunities at the center of the league’s agenda as it seeks a stronger role within the ruling party.