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Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Uganda: District Elections and Multi-Party Democracy Progress Senior Uganda Researcher GLCSS The recent elections for LC V Chairpersons, which are the local government elected leaders, and Women MPs in new districts reinforced Uganda's move towards a multiparty democracy. The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) maintained an overwhelming lead in Parliament and at the district level but the seeds of a multi-party democracy have taken hold. Political parties with seats in Uganda’s Eighth Parliament include the ruling NRM, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), Democratic Party (DP), Conservative Party (CP) and JEEMA. Before the formation of new districts, each of the first four major parties (NRM, FDC, UPC and DP) had 206, 37, 9 and 8 seats respectively. The NRM however, has 13 other ex-official members in parliament who do not vote. ‘’By this exercise the NRM has added eight new MPs outstripping the combined opposition, which only has one, Cecilia Ogwal,’’ reported the government owned New vision newspaper on 31 August. The NRM has 235 MPs out of 319 firmly on its side even if the 10 from UPDF were left out. According to the New Vision this means the NRM will maintain power for the foreseeable future. ‘’ At this rate,” reports the New Vision, “it could be another two decades before the NRM mass power begins to slide, but only if those in various stages of leadership do not address the main concerns of Ugandans,” wrote New vision’s Ofwono Opondo. Before the elections, the other two minor political parties, CP and Justice Forum (JEEMA - Justice Education Economy Morality African Unity) had one seat each. Some 37 seats were divided among the various independent members of parliament. However after the recent election, this number increased in favor of the NRM, which won most of the MP seats. Not only did the NRM improve in the number of MP seats but they also improved their geographic representation as well. According to a 1 September 2006 Press Release by the Ugandan electoral commission, the voting pattern in northern Uganda is shown to have reversed in favor of the NRM. ’’We are in the lead. I’m happy with those who mobilized for the victory of NRM,” the party’s deputy Secretary General, Dorothy Hyuha, said. The government Chief Whip was equally happy about NRM’s big win, ‘’that was expected, it was no surprise,’’ Kabakumba Masiko, who is also the MP for Bujenje county in Mpigi district, told the GLCSS on phone. NRM recorded total victory in Bukedea district. The district Woman MP seat went to Akol Rose Okullu of NRM with 22,057 votes. FDC’s Among Annet Anita came second with 8,075 votes and Amongin Jacquiline an Independent got 2,083 votes. The LC V Chairmanship was taken by NRM’s Ebukalin Sam with 17,880 votes after defeating James M Ongole, an independent candidate who only managed 12,461 votes in front of FDC’s Richard Stephen with a meager 1,832 votes. In Bududa, NRM’s Wonekha Oliver took the MP seat with 12,511 votes representing 54.3%, more than FDC Nabuduwa Annette’s 8,072 votes representing 35.0%. Wonekha, the former Woman MP for Mbale district, bounced back as Woman MP for Bududa district after she defeated her rival Annet Nabuduwa [FDC] in a controversial election allegedly marred by massive rigging, as was reported by the 30 August Daily Monitor. For the LC.V Chairperson, Wakyaya Nabende, an independent candidate, won with 9,763 votes representing 40.8 percent against NRM’s Watira Wilson who was close with 9,698 votes representing 40.percent. In Namutamba district NRM’s Michael Saire and Lydia Kibwika also defeated their opponents. For the Woman MP, Kibwika got 20,801 votes while Mutyabule F. Tibafana an independent got 13,166 votes. Saire with 28,177 votes became the LC.V Chairperson after beating Balwaniregha Ephrahim D. an Independent who had 5,226 votes. The race in Buliisa was won by NRM candidates Fred Lukumu taking the chairmanship with 9,966 votes representing 57percent and Beatrice Mpairwe, the woman MP seat after bagging 10,949 votes representing 63 percent. The runners up were Independents Wandera Twairi with 7,152 votes representing 41 percent and Aguuda Sarah M. with 6,195 votes representing 36.percent in the two posts respectively. In Budaka the Woman seat was taken by NRM’s Pherry Kabanda Sabano, while Samuel Muloni (independent) took the district chairmanship. In Lyantonde, NRM’s Fred Nayebare was elected unopposed for the LC.V Chair while Grace Namara (independent) took the parliament seat with 8,333 votes (53 percent against NRM’s Asiimwe Ruth who had 7,366 votes (46 percent). However, the NRM did not make progress in Dokolo district against the entrenched independent candidate Cecila Ogwal. Ogwal bagged 9,162 votes representing 36 percent to defeat NRM’s Ruth Atala Adupa with 7,208 votes representing 28 percent. In the 23 February general polls, Ogwal, the outspoken Lira Municipality MP had lost to former President Milton Obote’s son, Jimmy Akena but bounced back this time as Dokolo district’s woman MP. The LC.V Chairperson is Okello-Okello J.B, an Independent who bagged 18,818 votes against UPC’s Ogwang Alele John with 6,742 votes. In Amurru district, the LC.V Chairperson is Atube Anthony Louis of NRM who got 6,458 votes representing 33 percent followed by Olum Zachary, DP with 6,204 votes representing 31.7 percent. The Woman MP seat was taken by Aciro Concy an Independent with 7,475 votes representing 38.2 percent after beating Lamwaka Catherine, NRM with 5,463 votes representing 27.9 percent. Hon. Kabakumba also told the Great Lakes Centre for Strategic Studies (GLCSS) that the district of Maracha in Arua had not yet voted as they still had issues to sort out. ‘’They haven’t agreed on where to put their headquarters,’’ she said. Apparently, the opposition had difficulties in the last elections. Moreover, Ugandan press reports have in the recent past indicated that there are problems within the opposition. This partly explains the huge loss it suffered in the elections. The press reports highlighted conflicts between the parties and, non-existent political parties among other things. Defections and the lack of much needed funds are other issues the opposition is grappling with. All these have to be solved, if in the future any of the main opposition parties are to successfully challenge the NRM. Augustine Ruzindana, FDC’s secretary for research and policy is of the view that, ‘’defections from the opposition to government should be examined carefully because they are a threat to the building of democracy.’’ In the Monitor newspaper of 17 august, Ruzindana said, ‘’Where you have an authoritarian who goes out of his way to promote or induce the defection of leading personalities from the opposition, then the purpose is clearly just to destroy the opposition.’’ Mr. Ruzindana urged the opposition to find issues around which to keep and to increase its support and also to organize and increase its organizational strength. ‘’The people must be able to believe that a better and brighter future is possible under the opposition and that the opposition is strong enough to come to power, ‘’ he said. The Daily Monitor (Inside Politics, 23 – 29 August) reported that after opening space for political parties and entering into the multi-party political system, most registered political parties appear to have disappeared. The newspaper reported that some of these parties’ addresses were practically non-existent. Grace Natabaalo, of the Daily Monitor, reportedly went out on a search for some of them and discovered that there was little evidence of their existence. ‘‘Many of the other physical contacts supplied do not exist. Many left contacts that are business premises and do not have even signposts. The telephone numbers left with the Electoral Commission were either switched off or completely unavailable as the computer telephone exchange system said they were not on the network,’’ writes the Monitor. People's Independent Party (PIP) is one of those mentioned in the paper. Yahaya Kamulegeya is the founder and President of the party while Amin Ssentongo is Secretary General. “It is now three years since the party was registered but despite Mr. Kamulegeya's insistence that the party is very functional there is little evidence of this existence on the ground,’’ reported the Monitor. Accordingly, there is no evidence to show that PIP has held a delegates conference to set up structures and the only major activity was late 2003. The National Peasants Party (NPP) led by Erias Ssegujja Wamala is another one. According to the Monitor, Wamala insisted that his party adopted a rural approach to cultivating support and are busy focusing on the Local Council one elections. "We are experiencing financial constraints but we are functional,” Wamala said. “The government stopped us from getting money form other countries and our local people are poor." He also said the party already submitted its audited accounts to the Electoral Commission. Apart from LC1, the party did not sponsor any candidates for any other position. The Liberal Democratic Transparency Party (LDP) is reported to have turned its focus to lobbying the government to make sure that it is not left out of the county's politics. "We are organizing to meet the Electoral Commission and the secretary general of NRM and the president himself to pave way for the new parties to participate in politics," Zaidi Mukasa said, who described himself as the party Deputy President. The National Redemption Party was finally registered in December 2005 after what its president called problems with the government. "We applied for registration in February but it was made impossible due to our name, the word Redemption did not go well with the government," says Charles Bizimungu. Bizimungu says that the government thought they had connections with the shadowy rebel outfit People's Redemption Army (PRA) with suspected bases in eastern Congo. The newest party on the Ugandan political scene, the National Youth Revolutionary Organization, is headed by Moses Kankiriho and was registered on 28 July 2006. The Monitor reported the party is trying to come up with a program to mobilize funding from supporters and also lay strategies of letting people know about its existence. Progressive Alliance Party (PAP), as the Monitor also reported, has been variously linked to former External Security Organization (ESO) and Internal Security Organization (ISO) chiefs, David Pulkol and the jailed Brig. Henry Tumukunde respectively. The founding Secretary General Bernard Kibirige said he quit politics and is now concentrating on his businesses. Member of Parliament Naggayi Nabilah Sempala formed the Social Democratic Party (SDP) but later abandoned it to join the FDC to contest for the Kampala Woman MP seat in the February 23 elections. Nabilah, who is still listed as the contact person for the party, says that she is now busy with FDC. “I am no longer the party president, but the party is moving on. They will be meeting to decide on the party leadership," she told the Monitor. In a GLCSS interview, Nabilah did not deny moving to the FDC. “Most of these parties merged,” she said, “it is not really true that they [SDP] simply disappeared, members off the SDP are now trying to see the dimension or way forward.” Nabilah further explained that about two years ago, towards the elections, all the parties started formulating a basis for working together and most of them merged. The conflicts between the parties is another issue. ‘‘The Democratic Party (DP) has issues with the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). Not only is it accusing FDC of undermining multiparty democracy, but also telling lies,’’ the New Vision reported. According to the New Vision, the DP was planning to expose the FDC and Besigye as an anti-multiparty democracy outfit. The main opposition however is fighting on relentlessly and is preparing for the next elections. “In the FDC,” Latigo stressed, “We recognize the fact that elections are won in the first three years of the term preceding the next elections. We didn’t have that period in the last elections, that’s why we lost support.’’ The FDC believes that multiparty democracy has been restored in a multifaceted process by the parties’ fight over the years to restore it. In the future, the FDC looks poised to challenge the NRM. It sees the NRM rule coming to an end in the next general elections. ‘’We have strong potential in 2011,” said FDC member and Gulu woman MP, Hon. Aol Betty Ocan. “We have to capitalize on the failure of this government. People are disgruntled because of the sharing of resources that is not fair,’’ Although in her opinion Uganda is in the right direction with the multiparty system. ‘’The government,” Ocan said, “is not the best. It doesn’t mean very well for the north. The utterances are not in good faith.’’ She explained that the way development programs in the north are implemented leaves a lot to be desired and said the government should pursue peace so that development in the north is sustainable. Pointing out one of their major obstacle, she said, “We are treated just like back-benchers. The FDC is to plan well; it is true we don’t have enough funds but it is not funds only that make people work. We need to plan better.’’ ‘’Right now what we have done is to develop a strategic plan that ensures we do all the things necessary to ensure that at the next election, our support is not undermined by intimidation, and harassment,’’ FDC’s Hon. Prof. Morris Ogenga Latigo who is also the head of opposition in parliament told GLCSS in an interview. The NRM, despite the decrease (from 69.33 to 59.00 per cent) in its vote during the last two general elections, has the majority in parliament and is still poised to consolidate its position. This will be even further strengthened by how Museveni’s government manages to successfully and completely deal with the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) and rebuild the north. When asked about the slight decline in votes the government chief whip, Hon. Kabakumba Masiko said, ‘’You cannot say the percentage declined. This was the first multiparty election. Last time, was an election on individual merit. Since 1986, we [NRM] have been struggling with various issues.” “The opposition is here to discredit almost everything the government does. I don’t know whether they have any good will with the allegations,” she added. For the most part, the restoration and growth of multiparty politics in Uganda is taking a firm foothold and will indeed play a big role in the country’s future. Despite the problems the parties are going through, if the opposition finds ways to broaden and deepen its strength through a coalition, it will significantly challenge the NRM in 2011. The main opposition, the FDC, is working towards a stronger organization and sound membership and this will undoubtedly impact on the growth of multi-party politics and the future of Uganda. The Great Lakes Centre for Strategic Studies is a London-based think tank. Blogger News Network is advertiser-supported, and your visits to our advertisers help BNN to meet its expenses. Help keep us afloat! posted by GLCSS at 2:13 AM |
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