NRM caucus wants LC elections postponed again

The NRM Members of Parliament are fronting a proposal to extend the long awaited LC one and women council elections arguing that there is a variance in the number of villages between the NRM party and the electoral commission.

According to the NRM legislators, the ruling party has additional 3,000 villages as opposed to the ECs 60,800 that the commission is organising elections for.

The legislators also argue there is need to amend the constitution to bar all civil servants from contesting in the local council elections.

In their NRM Parliamentary caucus meeting Thursday afternoon, at the Office of the President, the legislators argue there is a variance of 3000 villages between the NRM Party and the electoral commission.

The other argument based for the extension is the need to study the factors that led to the petition in the High Court.

“As NRM, we have a different number of villages and the EC has a different one,” James Waluswaka, MP Bunyole West.

“We have asked the minister for local government to reconcile immediately with the EC chairman to come up with the final figure within two days,” Solomon Silwanyi, the Vice Chairperson for NRM caucus.

But to the Opposition legislators, they are opposed to the move of extending the local council election again.

“I don’t support their proposal saying we should extend, for what? The people are there, let us elect,” Kato Lubwama said.

“By them deciding to postpone, they can’t win, NRM is left in only three districts, “Mubarak Munyagwa, Kawempe South.

“These guys are trying to get money from Museveni, that is why they are trying to extend,” Joseph Ssewungu, Kalungu legislator.

Sources from the Caucus also indicated that the legislators want a facilitation to enable them mobilize for the NRM candidates and also to amend the law to bare civil servants from contesting before resigning.

Meanwhile sources from Parliament have also indicated that president Yoweri Museveni is again expected to meet all members of parliament on Tuesday next week in a meeting that its venue will be determined soon.

This came after the Speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga asked for this interface with the president on Wednesday this week.