DP wants more campaign days for Butambala

Aug 08, 2012

The Democratic Party (DP) has asked the Electoral Commission (EC) to extend the number of days for campaigns in the Butambala by-elections.

By Andrew Ssenyonga

The Democratic Party (DP) has asked the Electoral Commission (EC) to extend the number of days for campaigns in the Butambala by-elections.

Addressing journalists at the party's weekly press briefing at the party headquarters in Kampala on Wednesday, the party secretary general Mathias Nsubuga said the allocated time is too little for their candidate to travel all the villages in the constituency.

 Nsubuga said that Butambala has over six sub counties divided into 25 parishes with over 174 villages, an area which is too big to cover in such a short period of time.

"When we compare other constituencies that have had by-elections, Butambala is bigger. But how come Bukoto south was given more days to campaign, is it that the NRM candidate was new and they wanted more time to sell him to the people? Why is that Butambala has been given 11 days only, is that fair?" Nsubuga queried the EC in a letter.

The EC deputy spokesperson Paul Bukenya said what DP is requesting for was impossible to grant because the law is very clear on by-elections.

"For every by-election at the Parliamentary level it should be conducted within 60 days of the falling vacant of a seat. We are on time and we have sent DP a list of different programmes that would be run in that period," Bukenya explained.

The campaigns that would start on 28th August 2012 and the elections would take place on 12 September.

 The interested parties in the Butambala constituency vacant seat would be nominated on the 20 of this month.

The Court of Appeal has nullified the election of the Butambala County MP, the NRM's Faizal Kyikulukunyu over voter bribery.

Kyikulukunyu was dragged to court by his political rival, the DP's Muwanga Kivumbi.

Court of Appeal judges Stella Arach and Remmy Kasule upheld an earlier decision by the High Court that nullified his election over voter bribery.

 

 

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