Kampala mayoral polls for March 14
Mar 01, 2011
ELECTIONS to choose the mayor of Kampala will be repeated on March 14, the Electoral Commission (EC) announced yesterday.
By Henry Sekanjako
and Henry Mukasa
ELECTIONS to choose the mayor of Kampala will be repeated on March 14, the Electoral Commission (EC) announced yesterday.
The EC boss, Eng. Badru Kiggundu, also announced that elections for municipality, city division chairpersons and councillors would be conducted across the country today between 7:00am and 5:00pm.
The election of the Kampala mayor flopped last week when violence broke out after reports that voting started before the prescribed time and that there had been ballot stuffing. Consequently, the EC canceled the elections.
Addressing journalists at the EC headquarters in Kampala yesterday, Kiggundu said mayoral candidates and Kampala City Council councillors should not commence campaigns until their programmes were harmonised by the Kampala returning officer.
“Anything that you do will be illegal,†he warned.
Kiggundu said the commission had taken all measures to ensure that the repeated elections are free from any kind of violence and malpractice.
“I want to appeal to candidates and all stakeholders to cooperate with us for peaceful elections. We have done everything possible to avoid a repeat of what occurred during last week’s elections,†Kiggundu, who was flanked by the Inspector General of Police Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, said.
The EC boss disclosed that the commission had sacked the electoral officials who were arrested after being implicated in last week’s botched polls.
He said while the commission had not yet received sh2b needed for the repeat of the mayoral elections, he was confident that the Government would not let him down.
Commenting on today’s elections of chairpersons and councillors for the 22 municipalities and five city divisions, Kiggundu warned that any polling station that opens before 7:00am would be cancelled.
Kiggundu urged polling officials, candidates’ agents and voters to strictly adhere to procedures for opening polling stations.
He asked political parties’ agents to escort the voting materials from their respective district returning officers or division headquarters to polling stations as a measure of ensuring transparency.
Kiggundu said ballot papers for municipality/city division elections would bear full names of each candidate in alphabetical order, coloured photograph of each candidate and the party or independent candidates’ symbol. He said they would also bear the space where the voter will tick or place a thumbprint as a mark of choice.
Kiggundu said candidates’ agents should not be obstructed from sitting near the presiding officer and using registers to cross-check voters’ identities at the polling stations.
The commission has also chosen March 8 - 10 for convening regional meetings for election of regional youth representatives to Parliament.
The northern region centre for the electoral college will be Arua district, while that of central region will convene in Masaka district.
Eastern region delegates will meet in Soroti, whereas western region will convene in Kabarole district.
Kiggundu added that election for the female youth MP would be between March 11-14 and delegates of the National Youth Council would convene for that purpose in Jinja district.
and Henry Mukasa
ELECTIONS to choose the mayor of Kampala will be repeated on March 14, the Electoral Commission (EC) announced yesterday.
The EC boss, Eng. Badru Kiggundu, also announced that elections for municipality, city division chairpersons and councillors would be conducted across the country today between 7:00am and 5:00pm.
The election of the Kampala mayor flopped last week when violence broke out after reports that voting started before the prescribed time and that there had been ballot stuffing. Consequently, the EC canceled the elections.
Addressing journalists at the EC headquarters in Kampala yesterday, Kiggundu said mayoral candidates and Kampala City Council councillors should not commence campaigns until their programmes were harmonised by the Kampala returning officer.
“Anything that you do will be illegal,†he warned.
Kiggundu said the commission had taken all measures to ensure that the repeated elections are free from any kind of violence and malpractice.
“I want to appeal to candidates and all stakeholders to cooperate with us for peaceful elections. We have done everything possible to avoid a repeat of what occurred during last week’s elections,†Kiggundu, who was flanked by the Inspector General of Police Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, said.
The EC boss disclosed that the commission had sacked the electoral officials who were arrested after being implicated in last week’s botched polls.
He said while the commission had not yet received sh2b needed for the repeat of the mayoral elections, he was confident that the Government would not let him down.
Commenting on today’s elections of chairpersons and councillors for the 22 municipalities and five city divisions, Kiggundu warned that any polling station that opens before 7:00am would be cancelled.
Kiggundu urged polling officials, candidates’ agents and voters to strictly adhere to procedures for opening polling stations.
He asked political parties’ agents to escort the voting materials from their respective district returning officers or division headquarters to polling stations as a measure of ensuring transparency.
Kiggundu said ballot papers for municipality/city division elections would bear full names of each candidate in alphabetical order, coloured photograph of each candidate and the party or independent candidates’ symbol. He said they would also bear the space where the voter will tick or place a thumbprint as a mark of choice.
Kiggundu said candidates’ agents should not be obstructed from sitting near the presiding officer and using registers to cross-check voters’ identities at the polling stations.
The commission has also chosen March 8 - 10 for convening regional meetings for election of regional youth representatives to Parliament.
The northern region centre for the electoral college will be Arua district, while that of central region will convene in Masaka district.
Eastern region delegates will meet in Soroti, whereas western region will convene in Kabarole district.
Kiggundu added that election for the female youth MP would be between March 11-14 and delegates of the National Youth Council would convene for that purpose in Jinja district.