The Ndorwa West legislator Wilfred Niwagaba and his Kabale Municipality counterpart Andrew Baryayanga Aja have trashed the recent tabled electoral reforms in Parliament, saying they are meant to harass the opposition, rig elections in favor of the ruling party.
They spoke on Saturday afternoon to Watchdog Uganda after the ordination ceremony of Fr. Bendeicto Mubangizi at Rushorooza cathedral in Kabale municipality.
“What problem does the presence of cameras and phones cause at polling station? They instead bring proof of what exactly happened during the process,” Niwagaba said.
The shadow attorney General further said the tabled reforms give away to security officers a possibility to takeover and cause chaos during the election periods since the reforms direct police and the army to vote early in the morning.
“It means that the soldiers will vote early then beat voters” Niwagaba noted.
He said the Rt.Hon.Speaker of parliament Hon. Alitwala Kadaga had Okayed him to table his electoral reforms before parliament since he’s the shadow attorney general in parliament.
Hon. Andrew Aja, commenting on the matter said that all the electoral reforms were strange and were all fake to be implemented. He noted that he expected that the new reforms would slash the powers sitting president who appoints the chairman of the electoral commission, yet he’s also a candidate.
“I thought that maybe the new reforms would revise the powers of the president who appoints the electoral chairman yet he’s also a candidate” Aja said.
A set of the five reforms that were this week presented by the Attorney General, Mr William Byaruhanga, have major focus on independent candidates and how they qualify to run for office as President, Member of Parliament (MP) or district leader.
The bills include the Presidential Elections Amendment Bill 2019, and the Parliamentary Elections Amendment Bill 2019.
Others include the Electoral Commission Amendment Bill 2019, the Political Parties and Organisations Bill 2019, and the Local Governments Amendment Bill 2019.
Under the Political Parties and Organisations Bill, 2019, political parties are not allowed to have links with pressure groups.
The Bill also proposes that no candidate shall run independent of a party after participating in a party primary, yet at the same time, those elected as independents shall have a right to enter into alliance with any political party of their choice upon joining Parliament.
At the ordination ceremony, Bishop callist aordained among others Fr. Benedicto Mubangizi of Rushoroza parish, Deacon Tubiheruhanga Deogratius of Rwanyana parish and other eleven sub deacons.
He called on Christians to pray for religious leaders in the diocese such that they can serve them perfectly.
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