EC to resume LC electoral process, insists on lining up behind candidates
The Electoral Commission says they are now ready to resume the electoral process for the local council one, two, women councils and committee elections.
This is after the civil division of High Court endorsed a consent agreement between them and James Tweheyo, a teacher who had sued the electorate body faulting it of denying students and teachers the opportunity to participate in the country’s electorate process.
Following the suit, the courts of law had issued orders that haltered elections that were in their final stages with just a day to the 14thNovember 2017 when the women council and committee elections were meant to be held.
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The commission chairperson justice Byamukama while addressing a presser at their headquarters in Kampala noted that such order is now no more and they are at liberty to proceed with their arrangements.
The electoral commission boss further noted they don’t have specific dates and timelines as yet. He said ‘the election is not an event, so we now have to review the entire program and take into account term from court before developing a new program."
The timelines will therefore be stipulated by the terms from court and what activities had already been covered.
The commission adds that they will now need additional funds for the elections because the court orders halted a process that was in its final stages.
"For the new court terms to be met, we now have to redeploy registration officers at village level which will require over 60,000 officers whose payments had already been effected for work they had so far done," he said.
The commission also insists that they will be maintaining the lining up mode of election.
"Lining up is the mode stipulated out by law for all lower elections. This cannot be adjusted outside of legal prescription and yet the aspect was not part of the current court settlement terms."
Considering the reviews and re-programming that has to be done, the commission says there will be need for patience among the electorates.
A court order issued on the 13th November 2017 haltered the electoral process that was scheduled on the 14th of November for women councils and committees and the 21st November for lc one and two elections over a suit by James Tweheyo.
