Democratic Party unveils 2016 election strategy

By David Lumu

KAMPALA - The Democratic Party has unveiled four strategies that party officials claim would be weaved to sharpen their political fortunes ahead of the 2016 general polls and also take over the position of opposition leader in Parliament.

The current leader of opposition in Parliament is Wafula Oguttu of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).

The leader of opposition in the House is selected from the opposition party with majority seats.

Kawempe South MP and DP vice president Richard Ssebuliba Mutumba told journalists Tuesday that the four concepts would rotate around the “strengthening and repositioning” of the country’s oldest party so that it joins the opposition alliance as a solid force.

“We want to strengthen and reposition the DP to be able to take national leadership at all levels or in the unlikely event that it does not win the presidency, then it becomes the leader of opposition in parliament,” Mutumba outlined the first concept.

According to him, the other strategies include;

• harmonizing the warring factions

• identify party candidates in the country, and

• craft an ambitious marketing campaign for these candidates

Mutumba also revealed that DP would rejuvenate the “Buganda region concept”, which he said has been at the center of debate within the party structures recently.

“’The Buganda region concept’ emanated from the urge to perfect and rejuvenate the nostalgic feelings of the people of Buganda over the DP,” he said.

“It came into existence after a meeting between some Buganda activists and the vice president of the region in November 2013.”

DP officials said that the party’s 2016 strategy is in line with the opposition aspirations of  “inside-out” where building parties should be the first step before going into an alliance ahead of 2016.

“We want to go into a coalition when we are strong,” said Mutumba.

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