Opposition FDC party primaries start
Sep 20, 2010
THE Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has started its primaries to elect flag-bearers in the 2011 general elections. Northern Uganda was the first to carry out the exercise from Saturday to Monday.
By Jeff Lule
THE Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has started its primaries to elect flag-bearers in the 2011 general elections. Northern Uganda was the first to carry out the exercise from Saturday to Monday.
Addressing the media at the party headquarters in Kampala yesterday, the party spokesperson, Wafula Oguttu, said all candidates will be chosen through consensus by party members in their respective areas. Elections will only be held where consensus fails.
Oguttu said the exercise, which started yesterday, will run till October 4 in all regions. It will involve the election of LC3 and LC5 chairpersons, councillors and mayors.
“The party agreed that all flag-bearers be chosen through consensus. We think this method is more transparent than elections, which take a lot of time,†he said.
Oguttu said the system had been successful in northern Uganda.
Nominations in eastern Uganda will take place tomorrow, followed by elections from September 27 to 28. In the western and central regions, nominations will be held between September 27 and October 1, followed by elections from October 1 to 4.
Oguttu said they had trained supervisors right from the sub-county to the district level to avoid chaos during elections.
He said the party headquarters will conduct elections in hot spots like Jinja West, Nakawa and Makindye areas.
“We encourage party elders to engage candidates and encourage them on consensus. It is easy to get a better candidate through this system than through elections,†Oguttu noted.
He said successful FDC flag-bearers will face candidates from other parties in the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC) in the final round.
IPC is a loose coalition of four oppositions parties; FDC, Conservative Party, JEEMA and the Social Democratic Party.
The coalition seeks to front a single candidate to dislodge President Yoweri Museveni in next year’s elections. “We shall submit the names of our successful candidates to the IPC to compete with those from other parties. Consensus will be used to get the best candidates at all levels,†Oguttu said.
FDC and IPC, Oguttu noted, will not allow independent candidates, like it has been in the past.
He stressed that any member who will contest as an independent, will be disciplined or be expelled.
The date for the election of the special interest groups has not yet been decided.
THE Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has started its primaries to elect flag-bearers in the 2011 general elections. Northern Uganda was the first to carry out the exercise from Saturday to Monday.
Addressing the media at the party headquarters in Kampala yesterday, the party spokesperson, Wafula Oguttu, said all candidates will be chosen through consensus by party members in their respective areas. Elections will only be held where consensus fails.
Oguttu said the exercise, which started yesterday, will run till October 4 in all regions. It will involve the election of LC3 and LC5 chairpersons, councillors and mayors.
“The party agreed that all flag-bearers be chosen through consensus. We think this method is more transparent than elections, which take a lot of time,†he said.
Oguttu said the system had been successful in northern Uganda.
Nominations in eastern Uganda will take place tomorrow, followed by elections from September 27 to 28. In the western and central regions, nominations will be held between September 27 and October 1, followed by elections from October 1 to 4.
Oguttu said they had trained supervisors right from the sub-county to the district level to avoid chaos during elections.
He said the party headquarters will conduct elections in hot spots like Jinja West, Nakawa and Makindye areas.
“We encourage party elders to engage candidates and encourage them on consensus. It is easy to get a better candidate through this system than through elections,†Oguttu noted.
He said successful FDC flag-bearers will face candidates from other parties in the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC) in the final round.
IPC is a loose coalition of four oppositions parties; FDC, Conservative Party, JEEMA and the Social Democratic Party.
The coalition seeks to front a single candidate to dislodge President Yoweri Museveni in next year’s elections. “We shall submit the names of our successful candidates to the IPC to compete with those from other parties. Consensus will be used to get the best candidates at all levels,†Oguttu said.
FDC and IPC, Oguttu noted, will not allow independent candidates, like it has been in the past.
He stressed that any member who will contest as an independent, will be disciplined or be expelled.
The date for the election of the special interest groups has not yet been decided.