Parliament approves new EC amid protests

Dec 05, 2016

The constitution requires the appointments committee of parliament to screen all presidential nominees for appointment to public service.

PIC: Newly appointed Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama at Parliament on Monday. (Credit: Maria Wamala)

KAMPALA - As the vetting of the newly appointed Electoral Commission was under way in one side of the parliament building on Monday, the Leader of Opposition in parliament Winnie Kiiza alongside Democratic Party chief whip Joseph Ssewungu were holding a news conference to dissociate themselves from the process.

The duo, who are also members of the committee, reasoned that the move was intended to deny the process legitimacy until President Yoweri Museveni meets his end of the deal to meet other members of the Interparty Organization for Dialogue (IPOD) to among others discuss possibilities of having political and electoral reforms.

"IPOD agreed with Museveni that a meeting will be convened by the Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda to discuss how the Electoral Commission is selected," said Kiiza.

"Therefore we can't be part of the group announcing a new team before this discussion is held," she told reporters.

LOP Winnie Kiiza and DP chief whip Joseph Ssewungu addressed reporters at parliament. (Credit: Maria Wamala)


The Constitution requires the appointments committee of parliament that started at 10am local time Monday screen all presidential nominees for appointment to public service.

The appointed Electoral Commission team includes: Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama (chairperson), Hajjat Aisha Lubega (vice chairperson), Commissioners Peter Emorut, former Kajara MP Stephen Tashobya, Prof George Piwang and Mustapha Ssebaggala Kigozi.

In July, IPOD under the leadership of DP and sections of the Uganda People's Congress (UPC) went to State House, Entebbe to meet President Museveni.

The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) backed out of the meeting at the last minute and even threatened to quit IPOD.

EC Commissioner Stephen Tashobya at parliament on Monday. (Credit: Maria Wamala)

 

EC Commissioner Mustapha Ssebaggala Kigozi. (Credit: Maria Wamala)


The appointments committee, chaired by the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, is constituted by 15 MPs but five of these come from the opposition political parties.

Sources revealed that despite absence of the opposition, the committee went on with its work with a satisfactory quorum of 10 members.

LOP Kiiza said that in the hope that they will meet President Museveni, DP's Norbert Mao petitioned Kadaga requesting her to put on hold the vetting process until IPOD meets over the same but to their dismay, she disregarded the petition.

However, the parliament director of communications told New Vision in a separate interview that the work of the committee is not bound by IPOD arrangements.

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