Civil society submits constitutional reforms to Speaker

Dec 09, 2014

The citizens’ compact on free and fair elections has been submitted to the office of the Speaker a petition containing the reforms they want ahead of the 2016 general polls.


By David Lumu

The citizens’ compact on free and fair elections has been submitted to the office of the Speaker a petition containing the reforms they want ahead of the 2016 general polls.

A consortium of NGOs organized the national consultation on free and fair elections that was held from November 24-26 at Hotel Africana.

Speaking to journalists at the office of the Uganda National NGO Forum offices in Kampala, Crispy Kaheru, the coordinator of the Citizens’ Coalition For Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CDEDU) said that the petition containing the reforms was tabled before the office of the Speaker on December 5.

“As expressed in the compact, we are fully conscious of the fact that establishing the ground rules for a credible electoral system is primarily our responsibility as citizens of Uganda. The citizen’s compact therefore is our collective commitment to work together in removing all obstacles that stand in the way of reform,” he said.

Godber Tumushabe, who is part of the civil society activists that are pushing for the electoral reforms told journalists that the petition contains recommendations for a an independent electoral commission, separation of the state from the ruling party, elimination of the army and workers MPs from Parliament and solving the question of patronage politics.

“All most all the players have agreed that the way the current electoral commission is constituted and composed doesn’t pass the independent test. There are proposals on how to separate the state and the ruling party. There are proposals on how to deal on the question of patronage. Special interest groups workers and UPDF should be kicked out of Parliament,” he said.

Ofwono Opondo, the director of the Uganda Media Centre and the Government spokesperson recently told the civil society actors that Government is preparing a set of electoral reforms and that at an appropriate time a Cabinet White Paper containing the reforms would be tabled.

On his part, Leonard Okello the executive director of the Uhuru Institute argued that civil society is optimistic that Government would incorporate their proposed reforms because the petition has been tabled fifteen month to the 2016 general elections unlike in 2011 when they tabled them in October 2010, five months to the polls.

“It gives us a lot of optimism that we stand very good chance to push these reforms through…we have submitted them fifteen months early,” he said.

 

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