Akot Lual wins SPLM primary in Warrap
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Radio Tamazuj
Akot Lual Arech won the SPLM primary in Constituency No. 5 of Warrap, South Sudan, with 275 votes out of 279. Three opponents boycotted the vote after their request for a secret ballot was rejected, ahead of general elections scheduled for December 2026, Radio Tamazuj reports.
Akot Lual Arech won Saturday’s primary of South Sudan’s ruling SPLM party in Constituency No. 5 of Warrap State, with 275 of the 279 votes cast. His three opponents, William Wol Mayuol, Duwar Deng and Agasio Akol, received two, one and one vote respectively, according to Radio Tamazuj.
The three candidates withdrew before the vote after the electoral commission rejected their request for a secret ballot, opting instead for voting by queue. Of the 315 registered delegates, 36 were absent, and empty chairs represented the candidates who had boycotted the vote, Radio Tamazuj reports.
The dispute concerned in particular Akot Lual Arech’s eligibility as an officer in the South Sudanese armed forces, as well as allegations that money and motorcycles had been given to local chiefs to influence the selection of delegates. The three candidates approached the commission on 3 November, according to Radio Tamazuj.
Kuoch Nyuol, head of the SPLM high-level committee in charge of primaries in Warrap State, said the vote had been conducted legally and transparently, calling on the candidates and their supporters to accept the results. The primaries are intended to enable the SPLM to select its candidates ahead of its national convention and the general elections scheduled for December 2026, according to Radio Tamazuj. This primary follows the one won by Stephen Dhieu Dau in Upper Nile State on 30 October, Stephen Dhieu Dau wins SPLM party primary in Upper Nile.
