Two-day public holiday declared for Ugandans to elect next president, MPs
"This exercise marks a critical milestone in electoral preparations and underscores the Commission’s commitment to timely logistics, effective coordination, and the smooth conduct of the electoral process," said the EC on Thursday.
The Electoral Commission said it had registered over 21 million voters ahead of this year's general election. (New Vision/Files)
KAMPALA - President Yoweri Museveni has declared January 15 and 16 to be observed as public holidays across the country to enable Ugandan citizens participate in the presidential and parliamentary elections.
He has done so in exercise of the powers conferred upon the sitting President by Section 2(2) of the Public Holidays Act.
Candidates across the political spectrum are in the final stretch of their party and individual campaigns.
The Electoral Commission said it had registered over 21 million voters ahead of this year's general election.
The Commission, led by Justice Simon Byabakama, has already started dispatching polling materials to different districts ahead of polling.
"This exercise marks a critical milestone in electoral preparations and underscores the Commission’s commitment to timely logistics, effective coordination, and the smooth conduct of the electoral process," said the EC on Thursday.
The national election body also issued the photo-bearing national voters' register to presidential candidates, with representatives from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) the first to receive their copies on Wednesday.
The issuance of voter location slips has been happening since mid-December and is scheduled to end next Tuesday (January 13).
Polling will get underway with the presidential and parliamentary elections next Thursday (January 15).
Seven men are hoping to unseat the incumbent, President Museveni, who is seeking re-election for a seventh term.
They are Robert Kagulanyi Ssentamu (NUP), James Nathan Nandala Mafabi of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Gregory Mugisha Muntu Oyera of Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Munyangwa Mubarak Sserunga of Common Man's Party (CMP), Joseph Mabirizi of Conservative Party (CP), Robert Kasibante of National Peasants Party (NPP) and Frank Bulira Kabinga of Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP).
The rest of the polling dates will be as follows:
▪️January 19: Workers' representatives to Parliament
▪️January 20: Special interest groups (municipality/city division) - youths, older persons and persons with disabilities (PWDs)
▪️January 22: District/city local government (chairpersons, mayors and councillors)
▪️January 27: Municipality/city division chairpersons and councilors
▪️January 28: Regional youth representatives to Parliament
▪️January 28: UPDF representatives to Parliament
▪️January 29: Special interest groups councillors (district/city) - youths, older persons and persons with disabilities (PWDs)
▪️January 30: Special interest groups councillors (sub-county/town/municipal division)
▪️February 2: Older persons representative to Parliament
▪️February 3: Persons with disabilities (PWDs) representatives to Parliament
▪️February 4: Sub-county/town/municipal division
▪️February 6: National female youth representative to Parliament