Members of parliament in Aweil East State have selected relatives of General Paul Malong as speaker and deputy speaker of the new state parliament after several months of consultations.
Several members and local officials said on Monday that Akoon Diing Angok, a relative of General Paul Malong Awan, chief of general staff of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), the official army of South Sudan, has been confirmed as the speaker of the house.
Akoon was the sole potential candidate Malong had proposed and nobody had come out to contest the position, fearing they may be dismissed if they worked against interest of Malong.
Jane Ayak, a sister to one of the wives of Malong himself, was named the deputy speaker.
Aweil East State is one of 28 states created by President Salva Kiir by decree but challenged as unconstitutional by a coalition of opposition parties.
Monitors of the peace agreement have called the creation of the 28 states a “violation” of the peace agreement. Salva Kiir says the 28 states are the demand of the people.
File photo: SPLA Chief of Staff Paul Malong