The President of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Patrick Amuriat Oboi has challenged Ugandans to demand the government for the electoral reforms before the 2021 general elections 2021.
Addressing the party weekly press conference on Monday at Najjanankumnbi Amuriat said that a number of proposals have been put to government including the people’s views that were compiled through the consultative process but up to date, there are no any electoral reforms have been put in place.
“We need to force the regime to adopt what Ugandans are thriving for before any issues related to elections begin asserting that for the country to avoid sham elections, the country must have electoral reforms in place,” he said.
Late last year, the Attorney General William Byaruhanga tabled amendments to electoral laws before Parliament. Among the bills he tabled are Presidential Elections (Amendment) Bill No.17, 2019, Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill No.18, 2019, Electoral Commission (Amendment) Bill No. 19, 2019, Political Parties and Organisation (Amendment) Bill No. 20, 2019, Local Govts (Amendment) Bill No.21, 2019. The opposition was not satisfied with Byaruhanga’s proposals
Through their shadow Attorney-General Wilfred Niwagaba, they also tabled their own version of electoral reforms, a week after Byaruhanga tabled governments proposed reforms.
Niwagaba unveiled ten proposed electoral reforms.
These are: reinstating and entrenching presidential term limits, making a deputy president a running mate to the president during elections and scrapping Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) representatives from parliament and any other partisan institutions.
Others include: If a presidential candidate (s) get 10% in general elections, they should be ex-official Members of Parliament, creation of a Speaker’s Panel to advise the office of the Speaker and preside over parliament in case the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are indisposed and creation of a clean government of only 21 Cabinet Ministers and 21 State Ministers.
Although the Speaker promised last year in December that the House will begin debating about the reforms from both government and the oppositions, Amuriat sees it as a way of taking time because the Electoral Commission has already given a go-ahead to some candidates to do consultations before the reforms yet they must follow the reforms.
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