IPOD council meets Kadaga over Electoral Reforms

The council of the inter-party organization for Dialogue ( IPOD) has met Speaker of Parliament Rebbeca Kadaga to discuss issues of electoral reforms.

In the meeting which was held in Speaker’s chambers on Monday, the Executive Secretary of IPOD and country representative of Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), IPOD secretary Frank Rusa said that there is a need for government to increase money for political Parties.

“Madam Speaker, we see that there is a need to increase funding of political parties because the funds they get are not enough to facilitate their activities efficiently,” said Rusa.

Rusa also said electoral reforms have to be worked on in time so that the fate of independent Members of Parliament whose number keeps on increasing. In the last summit, all the member parties agreed that the problem of the indepandant candidates is becoming a challenge. However, the resolution has to be manned by Parliament through electoral reforms.
“As you take steps to debate on coming electoral reform, Also in the next IPOD summit we shall discuss it,” he added.

In her reaction, Kadaga supported their proposal. However she asked them to use the right channels.
“I support the proposal of increasing political party finances and I do hope the Prime Minister, who is now part of your IPOD, should be the one to bring this proposal before the House and once the members agreed, it will be worked on,” said Kadaga.

The council agreed that in the next summit, the proposal on independents to be discussed and will be among the major topic. Kadaga also asked them to think of the issue of creating new districts which have at times increased the number of independents.

“I’m really bothered with the new system of creating districts yet funds to conduct elections to institute leadership in them is not there.”