No elections â€" Col.Kizza Besigye
May 22, 2010
<br>UNLESS Government yields to the opposition parties’ demand to overhaul the Electoral Commission (EC), there will be no elections, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leader has warned.
By Milton Olupot
UNLESS Government yields to the opposition parties’ demand to overhaul the Electoral Commission (EC), there will be no elections, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leader has warned.
“We shall not boycott any election, but we shall also not allow any fraudulent election. Either we have a free and fair election or not have any election at all,†Col. Kizza Besigye said at Kati Kati Restaurant in Kampala on Friday night during a dinner his party hosted for journalists.
The FDC leader doubted that EC chairman Badru Kiggundu and his team can organise credible elections and said they should step down. “We do not want to fight after fraudulent elections. The fight should be now,†he emphasised.
“If the Government doesn’t listen to us, there are millions of Ugandans who will not allow elections to be conducted by Badru Kiggundu,†Besigye stressed.
The opposition, working under the Inter-Party Co-operation (IPC), a loose group of four political parties, is protesting the appointment of EC commissioners. They want them replaced with what they describe as a “new and independent teamâ€.
In addition, they also want a new modality for constituting the EC developed by all stakeholders before the 2011 elections. Under the Constitution, EC commissioners are appointed by the President after being vetted by Parliament.
“Whether it takes 10 years to organise elections, all we are saying is that it must be a free and fair elections. We are also preparing ourselves to be beaten. We are not going to allow a fraudulent election where we are just accompanying them,†Besigye told the well attended function.
Top FDC officials, including Wafula Oguttu, Sarah Eperu, Augustine Ruzindana and MP Christopher Kibazanga, were present.
It is still not clear what action FDC and IPC would take to stop the elections. When contacted, FDC spokesperson Oguttu repeated his boss’ words, but refused to elaborate.
The IPC, comprising FDC, Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), Conservative Party (CP) and Justice Forum (JEEMA), plans to field a joint presidential candidate in the 2011 elections. They are convinced they could win the election with a restructured EC.
But the Government maintained that the EC is properly constituted, casting doubt on the possibility of yielding to the opposition’s pressure.
On Thursday, President Yoweri Museveni defended the EC during a meeting with the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson. He said the electoral body was independent and the commissioners were recruited through sourcing from various professional groups and vetted by Parliament.
“Parliament’s appointments committee, chaired by the Speaker, is constituted by the ruling party legislators and those from the opposition,†the President told Carson during the meeting in which a wide range of bilateral and regional issues were discussed.
During his visit, the American assistant secretary also met members of the opposition and assured them that his government was committed to ensuring a free and fair election in Uganda.
According to sources, Besigye and UPC president Dr. Olara Otunnu reportedly implored the US government to prevail over Uganda government to set up a new national election body.
“We had a long discussion with Ambassador Carson over the lunch, centering largely on the issue of free and fair elections in Uganda and the fate of the Electoral Commission in conducting these elections,†Otunnu told journalist shortly after the meeting on Friday.
He boasted about reporting to Carson that the EC was completely integrated with NRM government to the extent that it cannot be an independent referee and that IPC had decided to reject it.
UNLESS Government yields to the opposition parties’ demand to overhaul the Electoral Commission (EC), there will be no elections, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leader has warned.
“We shall not boycott any election, but we shall also not allow any fraudulent election. Either we have a free and fair election or not have any election at all,†Col. Kizza Besigye said at Kati Kati Restaurant in Kampala on Friday night during a dinner his party hosted for journalists.
The FDC leader doubted that EC chairman Badru Kiggundu and his team can organise credible elections and said they should step down. “We do not want to fight after fraudulent elections. The fight should be now,†he emphasised.
“If the Government doesn’t listen to us, there are millions of Ugandans who will not allow elections to be conducted by Badru Kiggundu,†Besigye stressed.
The opposition, working under the Inter-Party Co-operation (IPC), a loose group of four political parties, is protesting the appointment of EC commissioners. They want them replaced with what they describe as a “new and independent teamâ€.
In addition, they also want a new modality for constituting the EC developed by all stakeholders before the 2011 elections. Under the Constitution, EC commissioners are appointed by the President after being vetted by Parliament.
“Whether it takes 10 years to organise elections, all we are saying is that it must be a free and fair elections. We are also preparing ourselves to be beaten. We are not going to allow a fraudulent election where we are just accompanying them,†Besigye told the well attended function.
Top FDC officials, including Wafula Oguttu, Sarah Eperu, Augustine Ruzindana and MP Christopher Kibazanga, were present.
It is still not clear what action FDC and IPC would take to stop the elections. When contacted, FDC spokesperson Oguttu repeated his boss’ words, but refused to elaborate.
The IPC, comprising FDC, Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), Conservative Party (CP) and Justice Forum (JEEMA), plans to field a joint presidential candidate in the 2011 elections. They are convinced they could win the election with a restructured EC.
But the Government maintained that the EC is properly constituted, casting doubt on the possibility of yielding to the opposition’s pressure.
On Thursday, President Yoweri Museveni defended the EC during a meeting with the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson. He said the electoral body was independent and the commissioners were recruited through sourcing from various professional groups and vetted by Parliament.
“Parliament’s appointments committee, chaired by the Speaker, is constituted by the ruling party legislators and those from the opposition,†the President told Carson during the meeting in which a wide range of bilateral and regional issues were discussed.
During his visit, the American assistant secretary also met members of the opposition and assured them that his government was committed to ensuring a free and fair election in Uganda.
According to sources, Besigye and UPC president Dr. Olara Otunnu reportedly implored the US government to prevail over Uganda government to set up a new national election body.
“We had a long discussion with Ambassador Carson over the lunch, centering largely on the issue of free and fair elections in Uganda and the fate of the Electoral Commission in conducting these elections,†Otunnu told journalist shortly after the meeting on Friday.
He boasted about reporting to Carson that the EC was completely integrated with NRM government to the extent that it cannot be an independent referee and that IPC had decided to reject it.