The National Resistance Movement-NRM’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) is yet to choose party flag-bearers for the positions of Parliament Speaker and Deputy Speaker, after hours of deliberation at State House on Saturday.
The Committee resumes tomorrow Sunday to try and reach a decision before the caucus meeting later in the day. This is according to the party Secretary-General, Justine Lumumba Kasule.
The highly contested race is mainly between Kamuli Woman MP Rebecca Kadaga who has been Speaker for 10 years and Omoro County legislator Jacob Oulanyah who has been her deputy in the 10th Parliament.
Whatever decisions that members of CEC, which President Museveni chairs in his capacity as NRM national chairman, make tomorrow will be important because it is likely to influence the choice of the ruling party’s caucus that sits on Sunday.
The caucus is not obliged to endorse CEC’s recommendation, although it has done so in previous Speaker and deputy Speaker races in past Parliaments.
The CEC meeting will also be keenly watched to examine whether members will maintain or reverse their reported 2016 agreement to support Oulanyah for Speaker of the 11th Parliament after Kadaga served two terms to match that of her predecessor Edward Ssekandi,who was in 2011 elevated to vice president.
However, while picking expression of interest forms for the position At the NRM headquarters on Kyadondo Road in Kampala on May 19, Kadaga told off CEC that they have no capability to choose Speaker for Parliament.
She said it would be undemocratic for the CEC to sit five years early and say that in five years’ time so and so will be our Speaker of Speaker.
“Why don’t we do that for the president? Every five years he comes and says there is an election. What do we do?
“So you can’t come and say for us (CEC) we decided on the speakership five years ago. Are you deciding for us like the way cattle are herded?” Kadaga charged.
The election of Speaker/Deputy Speaker is slated for 24 May, 2021.
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