South Sudan’s SPLM party has selected parliamentary affairs minister Jemma Nunu Kumba as speaker of the transitional parliament, a key step after the reconstitution of the parliament last month.

This was announced on Friday during an SPLM meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir who also chairs the SPLM party.

The September 2018 peace deal states that the parliament speaker must be an Equatorian belonging to the SPLM party.

“Regarding the SPLM leadership, we have a person you have not expected and this is Jemma Nunu Kumba. Jemma will be the next speaker of the parliament,” Kiir announced.

Jemma Nunu, who hails from Western Equatoria State, was appointed as the SPLM deputy secretary-general in October 2015, replacing Dr. Ann Itto.

She was appointed as the first governor of Western Equatoria State in 2008 but lost the April 2010 election.

Jemma Nunu held other ministerial positions after the 2010 general elections, including becoming the minister of electricity and dams, and minister of wildlife and tourism.

Jemma Nunu now becomes the first female speaker of the national parliament in South Sudan.

President Kiir also announced that the first deputy speaker of the parliament would come from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In-Opposition (SPLM-IO) followed by a second deputy speaker from the SPLM party.

According to Kiir, Parmena Awerial Aluong has been selected by the SPLM party to serve as the second deputy speaker.

“Our second deputy speaker will be Parmena Awerial Aluong. So the first deputy speaker who shall follow Nunu Kumba will be from SPLM-IO followed by Awerial who will be number three,” Kiir explained.

President Kiir also announced the selection of Mary Ayen Majok as the deputy speaker of the Council of States, representing the SPLM party.

The peace deal states that the speaker of the Council of States must be a member of the SPLM-IO party led by Frist Vice President, Riek Machar.