Full LC1 Election programme

Programme for Conduct of Administrative Unit (Village and Parish Level) and Women Councils and Committees (Village to National Level) Elections, 2017

a. Introduction
I welcome you to this press briefing in which the Electoral Commission will release the approved programme for conduct of Administrative Unit Elections from the Village (LC I) level to the Parish (LC II) level, and Women Councils and Committees Elections from the Village to the National Level.

In this statement, we will briefly highlight the key dates for the first levels of the electoral programme, namely, election of Village (LC I) Chairperson and Women Councils and Committees (Village) level.

The Commission has issued comprehensive guidelines to enable stakeholders participate in the entire electoral programme, which is progressive in nature, that is, from the village to the parish (in the case of Administrative Units) and from village to national level, in the case of Women Councils and Committees.

b. Verification of residents and compilation of the Village LC I Register and the Village Women Register: Thursday 26th – Monday 30th October 2017
The Electoral Commission has appointed Thursday 26th to Monday 30th October 2017, as the period during which willing village residents will register to participate in Administrative Unit (LC I) , and Women Councils and Committees Elections.

During this period, eligible and willing residents shall turn up in person at the registration centre within the village of residence to register.

The registration exercise shall be free of charge, and will be conducted from 7:00am until 6:00pm on each of the appointed dates, including weekends.

Please note that the registration exercise shall cover the compilation of two registers:
i. The Village Council Register, for purposes of electing the Village (LC I) Chairperson and approval of members of the Village Executive Committee; and,

ii. The Village Women’s Council Register for purposes of electing the Village Women’s Committee.

iii. Willing village residents and willing village women residents shall be registered in separate register books provided by the Electoral Commission.
Please note that the willing women residents will register in both registers and participate in both elections.

A person must fulfill the following requirements in order to be registered in the Village Council Register:
i. Must be a citizen of Uganda, who is ordinarily resident in the Village of registration;
ii. Must be eighteen (18) years of age and above at the time of registration;
iii. Must be willing to be a member of the Village Council;
iv. In the case of the Village Women’s Council Register, the person must be a female and a citizen of Uganda of eighteen (18) years and above, and must be ordinarily resident in the village of registration;
v. A person appearing for registration shall be required to provide the following particulars to the Village Election Official:
a) Names,
b) National Identity Number or Application ID Number,
c) Age,
d) Gender, and,
e) Village of Residence.

c. Display of the Voter’s Registers: 31st October – 1st November 2017
The display of the Village Council Register and the Village Women’s Council Register will be conducted on Tuesday 31st October and Wednesday 1st November 2017.

The display of the above Registers shall begin at 8:00am and end at 6:00pm at the designated public/open place in the respective village.

During the display, voters are urged to turn up in large numbers and check for the correctness of their particulars, such as names, National ID Number or Application ID Number, age, gender and village of residence.

Residents are further urged to report to the Village Election Official the following categories of persons for removal from the Registers:
– The dead,
– The under-aged, and,
– Those who do not reside in the village.

d. Composition of Village Women Committee, Nomination of Candidates, Campaign Period and Polling Date for Village Women Committees Elections

Composition of Village Women Committees
The Village Women Committee shall comprise of the following:
i. Chairperson
ii. Vice Chairperson
iii. Secretary
iv. Publicity Secretary,
v. Secretary for Finance

Nomination of Candidates for Village Women Committees: 6th – 7th November 2017
The Electoral Commission has appointed Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th November 2017 as the dates for nomination of candidates for election of the above five (5) members of the Village Women Committee.

The nominations of candidates shall be conducted at the respective Parish Headquarters by the Parish Election Official, starting at 9:00am until 5:00pm on each of the above dates.

Please carefully note the following:
i. An aspiring candidate for any office on the women’s committee shall be a female ordinarily resident in the village, aged eighteen (18) years or above and a citizen of Uganda;
ii. An aspiring candidate shall be registered on the Village Women Council Register;
iii. No academic qualifications shall be required; and,
iv. No nomination fee shall be required.

Campaigns and Polling for Village Women Committees
Campaign meetings shall be held for a period of six (6) days, that is, from Wednesday 8th November to Monday 13th November 2017.

The campaign meetings or public rallies shall be conducted only within the stipulated time, that is, from 7:00am until 6:00pm on each of the campaign days.

The Commission has appointed Tuesday 14th November 2017 as polling day for Village Women Committees.
Polling shall take place in a public/open place within the village, and shall be by lining behind the nominated candidates or their representatives or their portraits or symbols, in accordance with Section 111(2) of the Local Governments Act CAP 243 (as amended).

e. Election of Executive Committee Members from the Parish/Ward to the National Level
The Parish/Ward Women’s Council shall consist of all the members of the village women’s committees in the parish or ward.

The Sub-county/Town or Division Women’s Council (electoral college) shall consist of members of the parish or ward women’s committees in the Sub-county/Town or Division and a representative of women with disabilities elected from among the disabled women in the Sub-county/Town or Division through their structures.

The District/City Women’s Council (electoral college) shall consist of the chairpersons of the Sub-county/Town or Division women’s councils and a representative of women with disabilities elected from among the disabled women in the district/city through their structures.

The election of the Executive Committee Members from the Parish/Ward to the National Level will be conducted in accordance with the attached programme.

f. Composition of Village (LC I) Executive Committee
There shall be an executive committee at each village (LC I) consisting of eleven (11) members as follows:
i. Chairperson
ii. Vice Chairperson who shall also be Secretary for Children Welfare
iii. General Secretary
iv. Secretary for Information, Education and Mobilization,
v. Secretary for Security,
vi. Secretary for Finance,
vii. Secretary for production and environmental protection;
viii. Secretary for Youths;
ix. Secretary for Women and also the Public Heath Coordinator;
x. Secretary for Persons with Disabilities Affairs; and,
xi. Secretary for the Council of Older Persons.

g. Nomination of Candidates for Village (LC I) Chairperson: 15th – 16th November 2017
The Electoral Commission has appointed Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th November as the dates for nomination of candidates for election of Village (LC I) Chairperson.
The nominations of candidates shall be conducted at the respective Parish Headquarters by the Parish Election Official, starting at 9:00am until 5:00pm on each of the above dates.

Please note that these elections shall be conducted in accordance with the multi-party political dispensation. Therefore political parties should prepare accordingly.

i. Aspiring candidates for election as Village (LC I) Chairperson shall pick nomination forms from the Parish Election Official (Nominating Officer) of the parish in which the village is located starting on 24th until 31st October 2017.

ii. An aspiring candidate for Village (LC I) Chairperson shall be a citizen of Uganda of 18 years and above, a resident in the village where he/she intends to stand, and must be registered on the respective Village Council Register.

iii. No academic qualifications shall be required for election of Village (LC I) Chairperson and no nomination fee shall be required.

Additional and detailed information on the nomination procedures are outlined in the guidelines that are to be issued to the general public and political parties, and also made available through the media and on the EC website.

h. Campaign Period and Polling Date for Village (LC I) Chairperson:
Campaign meetings for elections of Village (LC I) Chairperson shall be held for a period of four (4) days, that is, from Friday 17th November to Monday 20th November 2017.

The campaign meetings or public rallies shall be conducted only within the stipulated time, that is, from 7:00am until 6:00pm on each of the campaign days.

Polling for election of Village (LC I) Chairperson will take place on Tuesday 21st November 2017, in a public/open place within the village, and shall start at 7:00 am and end at 4:00pm.

The election of the Village (LC I) Chairperson shall be by the voters lining behind the nominated candidates or their representatives, or their portraits or symbols, in accordance with Section 111(2) of the Local Government Act CAP 243 (as amended).

For avoidance of doubt, the following program shall guide the flow of activities on voting day:
7:00-10:00 : Assembly and Verification of voters by the Village Election Official
(Presiding Officer)
10:00-11:00 : Voter education and briefing of voters on voting procedures by the
Village
Election Official (Presiding Officer)
11:00-11:30 : Voting by the electorate lining up and counting of votes
11:30-12:00 : Filling of Form EC10 and declaration of Chairperson-elect.
12:00-04:00 : Nomination and approval of Executive Committee members by the
Village Council and filling form EC11

Please note that the following Village (LC I) Committee members shall be nominated by the elected Village Chairperson from among members of the Council present and approved by the Council one by one by show of hands:
i. Vice Chairperson who shall also be Secretary for Children Welfare
ii. General Secretary
iii. Secretary for Information, Education and Mobilization,
iv. Secretary for Security,
v. Secretary for Finance,
vi. Secretary for production and environmental protection,

Furthermore, the Committee members below shall join the Village Executive Committee by virtue of having been elected Chairpersons of the respective Village Committees of Special Interest Groups:
i. The Chairperson of the Village Youth Council, who shall be the Secretary for Youths;
ii. The Chairperson of the Village Women Council, who shall be the Secretary for Women and also the Public Heath Coordinator;
iii. The Chairperson of the organization for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) at the Village who shall be Secretary for Persons with Disabilities Affairs; and,
iv. The Chairperson of the Village Council of Older Persons who shall be the Secretary for the Council of Older Persons.

i. Election of the Parish/Ward (LC II) Chairperson and Executive Committee Members
The members of the Village Executive Committees in the respective parish/ward will comprise the Parish Council for purposes of election of the Parish/Ward Chairperson.

The election of the Parish/Ward (LC II) Chairperson, nomination and approval of Parish Executive Committee Members will be conducted in accordance with the following programme:

1. Compilation of Parish/Ward (LC II) Voters’ Register 22nd –23rdNov 2017
2. Display of Parish/Ward (LC II) Voters’ Register 24th –27th Nov 2017
3. Nomination of Candidates for Parish/Ward (LC II) Chairperson 4th Dec 2017
4. Campaigns for Parish/Ward (LC II) Chairperson 5th –6th Dec 2017
5. Polling Day for Election of Parish/Ward (LC II) Chairperson 7th Dec 2017

j. Compliance with the Law
The Electoral Commission urges all aspiring candidates and stakeholders to acquaint themselves with the relevant laws and guidelines, in order to appreciate their respective roles and responsibilities before, during and after these elections.

k. Appeal
The Commission appeals to all political parties to study this programme and undertake necessary preparatory activities (e.g. election of flag bearers) in time to comply with the guidelines and requirements for each level for this electoral process.

l. Conclusion
The Commission urges all Ugandans to participate in this electoral programme, and to do so in accordance with the guidelines for each activity. This will ensure a smooth electoral exercise.

I thank you,

For God and my Country,

Justice Byabakama Mugenyi Simon
Chairperson, Electoral Commission