A public opinion poll of the Equatoria region shows that the Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly must be elected, not appointed by President Salva Kiir.
Out of ten Equatorians asked randomly on the topic, seven of them say the Speaker must be selected by parliamentarians from the Equatoria region as the peace agreement stipulates.
The interviewees base their opinion on the principles of popular democracy and justice.
However, three of the ten interviewees have declined to declare their position for fear of retaliation.
One of the ten interviewees says the Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly should be a woman to promote equality and the 25 percent affirmative action.
President Kiir, last week told a rally of SPLM Youth League in Juba that he does not trust the majority ruling party members in the national parliament.
He stated his intention to appoint the Speaker of Parliament from the Equatoria region himself as opposed to election by legislators.
His statement has prompted protests from the Equatoria region and SPLM/A-In-Opposition.