DP's Mao takes over IPOD leadership
The Democratic Party's president Norbert Mao has taken over the leadership of the summit of the Inter Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD).
Mao, who replaced UPC's Jimmy Akena, urged political parties to take the lead in the push for the national dialogue to create a better agenda.
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Speaking during the handover ceremony at Protea Hotel in Kampala, Mao outlined the priorities of IPOD in the six months he will lead the summit.
His immediate task will be to deliver a summit on May 15 , a date agreed upon at the Speke Resort Munyonyo summit skipped by the FDC.
He will also have to find a way to manage the tensions and suspicions within the summit as the political environment heats up ahead of the 2021 polls.
In the history of the summit, there has never been quorum to take decisions by consensus.
The handover ceremony was one of those few occasions when political party leaders sit in the same room and speak the language of dialogue.
It was enlightening to see members of the IPOD summit sit together to witness a transition in leadership but also to discuss the issues affecting the political landscape.
While President Museveni has previously avoided the summit, he attended the one last year where FDC did not show up.
DP will lead the summit for six months before passing the mantle to the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
