Besigye accuses EC of bias

Kampala.

Presidential aspirant Dr Kizza Besigye yesterday joined fellow Opposition politician Amama Mbabazi in accusing the Electoral Commission of bias and favouring the ruling NRM party.

Dr Besigye, who is vying for presidency on the FDC ticket, said that in the recent past, the EC had clearly demonstrated that it is obligated to Mr Museveni and the NRM regime. “What is clear is whatever the EC says is that NRM was not ready. Up to now, the NRM does not officially have a candidate for president,” Dr Besigye said.

Dr Besigye who described the EC as president Museven’s “walking stick” claimed that the papers that were filed for and on behalf of president Museveni as an NRM flag bearer were fraudulent.

On Wednesday, presidential aspirant Amama Mbabazi, through his lawyers, also questioned President Museveni’s nomination and asked the EC to annul it. Mbabazi also took issue with the EC’s continued postponement of the activities in the election road map without recourse to the law.

While extending the nomination deadline by a month, Mr Badru Kiggundu, said the decision was informed by the recent amendments to the electoral law by Parliament. The EC boss also emphasised that his commission was working independently.

However, Mr Mbabazi’s lawyers said none of the amendments impinged on the road map to prompt postponement of the nomination for a month from October 5-6 to November 3-4. NRM will hold its delegates conference from October 30 to November 2. It’s is expected that during this meeting, Mr Museveni will be endorsed as party flagbearer.

However, the NRM yesterday responded with sneer to Besigye and Mbabazi’s claims that the ruling party is acting illegally by fronting President Museveni as its flag bearer without the party’s delegates’ conference endorsement. Party lawyer Kiryowa Kiwanuka told Daily Monitor that what has so far happened is not nomination but an administrative exercise.

“Their (Besigye and Mbabazi) position is not grounded in the Constitutions of Uganda and the NRM party. They are just panicking when it is still too early,” Mr Kiwanuka said. Human rights lawyer Ladislus Rwakafu weighed in: “What the NRM has done by presenting Mr Museveni for pre-nomination is irregular but not illegal. He should have waited for the delegates’ conference but the conduct of the party members by not challenging him approves him.”

Initially, Mr Mbabazi wanted to stand against Mr Museveni but said conditions had made it difficult for him to contest and went independent with his Go Forward pressure group. Dr Besigye, a three-time presidential candidate, who through FDC booked a nomination date immediately after the EC extended the deadline, expressed his dismay that the EC had allocated the same to NRM.
He accused the ruling NRM of a campaign to exclude the majority from the leadership of the country. He cited the recent amendments to the electoral laws that hiked nomination fees for parliamentary aspirants from Shs200,000 to Shs3m. He said the youth, women and the workers will not be able to afford the new nomination fees imposed.

“The biggest section of our workers cannot access leadership. How can a teacher now become a member of parliament, they are condemned never to seek leadership because the people who have failed to pay them for the incredible work they do are now imposing Shs3m in order to be nominated. How will a teacher ever accumulate Shs3 million?” On the youth he said 84 per cent are unemployed questioning where they will be able to get the money to pay such fees. “Young people need to come into leadership to make policies that favour them. How will they ever do this if you lock them out?” Dr Besigye asked.

Meanwhile, the EC yesterday issued an accreditation call for local and international media interested in covering the 2016 poll. “For purposes of transparency, the EC shall accredit international and national media organisations to observe and report the various activities that will be undertaken during the electoral process,” he EC statement read in part.

The numbers
Shs3million
Amount in Shs parliamentary aspirants have to pay in order to be nominated.