FDC rejects proposed political party regulations
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has rejected government proposed regulations that seek to govern political parties internal elections during Covid 19 period.
The proposals were presented to Parliament on July 2.
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Under the regulations, government wants parties to conduct virtual meetings, generate resolutions through signing of papers and to use unauthorized organs of parties to handpick flag bearers.
However, FDC has urged Parliament to reject these regulations because they have the effect of overthrowing multiparty democracy.
According to the party's spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the regulations are aimed at overthrowing party constitutions.
"How then will parties respect the national constitution? As FDC, the procedures and processes of candidate identification and selection are well laid out in our constitution. We will not learn NRM bad manners,"he said.
Ssemujju said that these regulations are solely to benefit the National Resistance Movement (NRM) which manipulated its Constitution recently to provide for lining up behind candidates and are now stuck because of Covid19.
"The NRM wants to return to the electoral college system and secret ballot which they selfishly removed from their constitution. Let them carry their cross alone. Even if they are passed by Parliament, the FDC shall not abide by these regulations which are unconstitutional. We don't need regulations to uphold internal democracy in FDC,"he said.
Ssemujju noted that the party recognizes that Uganda like any other country is faced with the Covid19 pandemic therefore holding a normal election on the dates stipulated in the Constitution (January-February 2020) as announced by the Electoral Commission is a big risk.
"But if as a country we choose to do so, these elections must be transparent as commanded by the Constitution. The Constitution provides for only normal elections where candidates freely interact with the electorate. Any attempt to modify these elections will be unlawful,"he said.
