the Women’s League of South Sudan’s ruling party, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), has endorsed President Salva Kiir as the party’s sole presidential candidate for the country’s planned December 22, 2026 general elections.
The endorsement was made at the conclusion of the first national constitutional Conference of the SPLM Women’s League, held in Juba last week. Delegates from the country’s 10 States and three administrative areas also adopted a constitution to guide the women’s wing.
The Women’s League also nominated Kiir for the position of SPLM chairman at the party’s upcoming third national convention. Delegates pledged to mobilise women across the country to participate in the elections and support peace, reconciliation and healing initiatives.
The conference condemned intercommunal violence, armed conflict and violence against women and young people, while urging armed groups to pursue peaceful means of resolving conflicts.
Women’s League Chairperson Adak Costa said the adoption of the constitution and a five-year strategic plan would strengthen the organisation and its leadership. She also appealed to Kiir to retain the current SPLM secretary-general, saying his leadership was important to strengthening the party.
The new constitution will allow the Women’s League to register and recruit women from grassroots communities through to the national level. Delegates also called for the organisation’s chairperson to be included in the SPLM Political Bureau and for structures to be established to promote and protect women’s rights. South Sudan is scheduled to hold its first general elections on December 22, 2026.