FDC to mobilize funds for fresh polls - Muntu

By Umaru Kashaka             

Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) will mobilize funds if top party organs meet and decide to have fresh elections, party president, Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu has said.

This after a party reconciliation committee report recommended for fresh polls.

Speaking to New vision on phone, Muntu who welcomed the report said, “The party is financially constrained but would make fundraisings to raise money for various party activities after discussing common provisions in the report at both formal and informal level.”

“We don’t have funds now for various activities but as a party we shall have to mobilize for them in order to build the party structures,” he added.

He said the party official will meet Tuesday to discuss the report.

Muntu defeated the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Nandala Mafabi, in the hotly contested election last year following Dr. Kiiza Besigye’s retirement as a party head.

“I welcome the committee’s report because we instituted it to carry out the investigation and I am ready for fresh polls if the party organs decide so after discussing the report,” Muntu said.

FDC secretary general, Alice Alaso, described a recommendation for fresh elections as “financially untenable and politically suicidal” warning that the party risks inflicting damage on itself by redoing the elections instead of carrying out countrywide mobilization ahead of 2016 general polls.

“The process of conducting fresh polls is complicated. We would need to conduct five delegates’ conferences before we think of conducting fresh presidential polls,” Alaso said.

The Serere Woman MP explained that the party would have to call a delegates conference to cause grass-roots elections, whose winners will elect office bearers during the national delegates conference to be held next year.

The FDC constitution provides for a five-year term for the party president and deputies as well as four years for the rest of the party positions.

Although the FDC national council allowed Besigye to cut short his term, which began in February 2014, other offices expired early this year, together with the national delegates conference.

During his interface with the commission, Dr. Besigye, called for fresh party polls in 2014, saying the party president is hanging without supporting institutions.