Ten parties support referendum
May 14, 2005
TEN political parties have ignored a call to boycott the upcoming referendum on change of political system and have formed a committee to campaign for multiparties.
By Hamis Kaheru
TEN political parties have ignored a call to boycott the upcoming referendum on change of political system and have formed a committee to campaign for multiparties.
Electoral Commission (EC) guidelines say where more than one group wishes to form a side in the referendum, those groups must form one referendum committee to canvass support.
The 10 new parties said they would campaign for the multiparty side under the Inter-Political Multiparty Referendum Committee (IMRC).
They are Reform Agenda (RA), Action Party (AP), Forum for Integrity in Leadership (FIL), Liberal Democratic Transparency (LDP) and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Uganda Economic Party (UEP).
Others are National Convention for Democracy (NCD), Farmers Party of Uganda (FPU), National Progressive Movement (NPM), National Unity Reconciliation and Development Party (NURP).
IMRC vice-chairman Emmanuel Tumusiime said the committee also includes five non-political party organisations, bringing the total to 15 groups. They are the Uganda Society of Muslim Writers Forum (USMWF), the Uganda Peoples Forum (IPF), the National Awareness Crusade (NAC), the Congress Service Volunteers (COSOVO).
The G6, a grouping of six older parties, recently called for a boycott, saying referendum was unnecessary because there was consensus on the proposed change from Movement to multiparty politics.
G6 comprises Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Democratic Party (DP), the Justice Forum (JEEMA), the Conservative Party (CP) and The Free Movement (TFM).
Tumusiime said IMRC had communicated to EC about the formation of the committee and was due to submit the required number of signatures of supporters last evening.
EC guidelines required a referendum committee to have support of at least 10 registered voters from at least half of all districts (28 districts), a registered office and a national character including women, youth and people with disabilities.
Action Party chairman Nelson Ocheger, who headed the multiparty side in the 2000 referendum, is not on the committee although his party is listed among the 15.
Tumusiime said the IMRC office is on Coral House on Bombo Road next to Bible House. He said the 15 groups had signed a memorandum of understanding upon which the executive committee was selected. Moses Kibalama Nkonge chairs the committee.
“We appeal to all multipartyists especially those who decided to boycott the referendum after a long time of agitation for the return to multipartyism to come and join us,†Nkonge said in a statement.
HE said NRM supporters who cherish the ideals of multipartyism should join IMRC.
Meanwhile, a hitherto unknown anti-multiparty coalition has vowed to campaign for the retention of the Movement system of government in the referendum, Reports Isaac Kalembe.
“We should not go in for rushed decisions simply because our hands are held at the back by the donors. Our goal is to maintain a broad-based system of politics, to stick to non-partisan politics and fight partisan politics that has caused much tragedy, bloodshed in Uganda,†said Muhamma.
TEN political parties have ignored a call to boycott the upcoming referendum on change of political system and have formed a committee to campaign for multiparties.
Electoral Commission (EC) guidelines say where more than one group wishes to form a side in the referendum, those groups must form one referendum committee to canvass support.
The 10 new parties said they would campaign for the multiparty side under the Inter-Political Multiparty Referendum Committee (IMRC).
They are Reform Agenda (RA), Action Party (AP), Forum for Integrity in Leadership (FIL), Liberal Democratic Transparency (LDP) and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Uganda Economic Party (UEP).
Others are National Convention for Democracy (NCD), Farmers Party of Uganda (FPU), National Progressive Movement (NPM), National Unity Reconciliation and Development Party (NURP).
IMRC vice-chairman Emmanuel Tumusiime said the committee also includes five non-political party organisations, bringing the total to 15 groups. They are the Uganda Society of Muslim Writers Forum (USMWF), the Uganda Peoples Forum (IPF), the National Awareness Crusade (NAC), the Congress Service Volunteers (COSOVO).
The G6, a grouping of six older parties, recently called for a boycott, saying referendum was unnecessary because there was consensus on the proposed change from Movement to multiparty politics.
G6 comprises Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Democratic Party (DP), the Justice Forum (JEEMA), the Conservative Party (CP) and The Free Movement (TFM).
Tumusiime said IMRC had communicated to EC about the formation of the committee and was due to submit the required number of signatures of supporters last evening.
EC guidelines required a referendum committee to have support of at least 10 registered voters from at least half of all districts (28 districts), a registered office and a national character including women, youth and people with disabilities.
Action Party chairman Nelson Ocheger, who headed the multiparty side in the 2000 referendum, is not on the committee although his party is listed among the 15.
Tumusiime said the IMRC office is on Coral House on Bombo Road next to Bible House. He said the 15 groups had signed a memorandum of understanding upon which the executive committee was selected. Moses Kibalama Nkonge chairs the committee.
“We appeal to all multipartyists especially those who decided to boycott the referendum after a long time of agitation for the return to multipartyism to come and join us,†Nkonge said in a statement.
HE said NRM supporters who cherish the ideals of multipartyism should join IMRC.
Meanwhile, a hitherto unknown anti-multiparty coalition has vowed to campaign for the retention of the Movement system of government in the referendum, Reports Isaac Kalembe.
“We should not go in for rushed decisions simply because our hands are held at the back by the donors. Our goal is to maintain a broad-based system of politics, to stick to non-partisan politics and fight partisan politics that has caused much tragedy, bloodshed in Uganda,†said Muhamma.