South Sudanese President Salva Kiir issued a provisional order on Tuesday appointing the governors of newly established states as interim leaders of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in their states.
“It is a provisional order until we go for election” said SPLM Secretary of Information, Bol Makueng.
Makueng said the president issued the order to fill the vacuum of unappointed SPLM leaders in states. He also said the order could change if the Arusha agreement is followed, which brings together the SPLM.
“The order could be reversed if the SPLM is reunified. We are now in preparation for the reunification. If the situation changes this policy could be reverse,” Makueng said.
Prior to issuance of this decree there had been some confusion as to whether the SPLM party would restructure itself along the lines of the new states or not. In Northern Bahr al Ghazal, the SPLM Chairman Paul Malong, who is also head of the national army, sought to maintain control over party structures in the three successor states by keeping the SPLM in one secretariat in Aweil controlled by his associates.