MPs pass electoral commission Bill
Apr 22, 2010
PARLIAMENT last Wednesday passed the Electoral Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009. The Bill will become law after assent by the President.
By Milton Olupot
PARLIAMENT last Wednesday passed the Electoral Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009. The Bill will become law after assent by the President.
The Speaker, Edward Ssekandi, had on Tuesday deferred the debate on the Bill after opposition MPs protested that the views of stakeholders had been left out by the legal and parliamentary affairs committee.
After a brief debate on Wednesday, the Bill was passed with amendments mainly brought in by the opposition.
The Bill followed demands by stakeholders that the Government amends electoral laws before the 2011 general elections.
It also followed attempts by the opposition MPs to table the Bill as a private member’s Bill.
Under the new amendments, the secretary to the Electoral Commission shall serve a five-year term, renewable when the Bill becomes law. This, according to the Bill, will promote accountability and independence of the commission.
The Bill also reduces the time for public display of voters’ registers before a general election from 21 days to 15 to allow a six-day appeal time.
The Bill had proposed that a duplicate voter’s card in case of loss of the original one should be issued at least 90 days before the polling day, but this was reduced to 60.
The House also agreed that political parties and representatives of independent candidates be allowed to observe elections.
The opposition had also demanded that political parties get electronic copies of the voters’ register six months in advance but the deputy Attorney General, Fred Ruhindi, opposed the matter, saying it had financial implications. He added that the parties should get the register at their own cost.
It was, however, later agreed that the register would be availed to the political parties, but only after the nomination of candidates.
An attempt by Shadow Attorney General Erias Lukwago to introduce an amendment to have people register to vote at their work places was rejected by the House.
Voters can only register in their places of origin or places of residence.
The amendment mooted by opposition, to make each constituency a unit for election management, instead of a district, was also rejected for its costs implications.
“I would have had it even at a sub-county level. Much as the principle is good it is not tenable,†Ruhindi said.
There shall also be a tribunal comprising five people appointed by chief magistrates in their respective jurisdictions, to settle election disputes.
The five will include two elders and three representatives of the political parties participating in elections in the area.
PARLIAMENT last Wednesday passed the Electoral Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009. The Bill will become law after assent by the President.
The Speaker, Edward Ssekandi, had on Tuesday deferred the debate on the Bill after opposition MPs protested that the views of stakeholders had been left out by the legal and parliamentary affairs committee.
After a brief debate on Wednesday, the Bill was passed with amendments mainly brought in by the opposition.
The Bill followed demands by stakeholders that the Government amends electoral laws before the 2011 general elections.
It also followed attempts by the opposition MPs to table the Bill as a private member’s Bill.
Under the new amendments, the secretary to the Electoral Commission shall serve a five-year term, renewable when the Bill becomes law. This, according to the Bill, will promote accountability and independence of the commission.
The Bill also reduces the time for public display of voters’ registers before a general election from 21 days to 15 to allow a six-day appeal time.
The Bill had proposed that a duplicate voter’s card in case of loss of the original one should be issued at least 90 days before the polling day, but this was reduced to 60.
The House also agreed that political parties and representatives of independent candidates be allowed to observe elections.
The opposition had also demanded that political parties get electronic copies of the voters’ register six months in advance but the deputy Attorney General, Fred Ruhindi, opposed the matter, saying it had financial implications. He added that the parties should get the register at their own cost.
It was, however, later agreed that the register would be availed to the political parties, but only after the nomination of candidates.
An attempt by Shadow Attorney General Erias Lukwago to introduce an amendment to have people register to vote at their work places was rejected by the House.
Voters can only register in their places of origin or places of residence.
The amendment mooted by opposition, to make each constituency a unit for election management, instead of a district, was also rejected for its costs implications.
“I would have had it even at a sub-county level. Much as the principle is good it is not tenable,†Ruhindi said.
There shall also be a tribunal comprising five people appointed by chief magistrates in their respective jurisdictions, to settle election disputes.
The five will include two elders and three representatives of the political parties participating in elections in the area.