Category: Politics

{NRM won all the LC5 and Woman MP slots except the Omoro LC5 seat won by a former NRM member.}

Kampala. The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) won with a landslide in the new districts, lending credence to the long-held argument that new districts are created to further entrench the ruling party’s dominance.

NRM has more than 300 MPs and added four to these after winning all the Woman MP slots in the new districts.

In a March, 2015 letter to the Local Government minister, President Museveni argued for the creation of new districts as a way that would help to resolve complicated administration issues, separate various ethnic groups and address poor planning.

{{NRM takes all }}

NRM won all the LC5 and Woman MP slots except the Omoro LC5 seat won by a former NRM member. The race was not even close in the majority of the races with the leading NRM candidates sometimes garnering double or more the score of their closest challengers.

Opposition party Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidates mostly trailed in the third place, with NRM-leaning independent candidates coming second.

But what helped NRM, which has in the past not done well in bye-elections, to not only win but also for the Opposition to lose miserably?

“Our performance in past bye-elections has been harmed by internal rivalry. We would face a united front in the Opposition but also a fight within NRM. This time, we didn’t have any division in most of the constituencies,” Dr Tanga Odoi, the NRM electoral commission chairman, said.

Dr Tanga tagged the party’s success in the elections to “a well-packaged message, the realisation that people have achieved through NRM, a divided Opposition, people getting fed up with Opposition politics based on lies and violence.”

In an interview with Daily Monitor, FDC publicity secretary for Gulu and Omoro, Mr Wilson Oyat Chagga, said they are “dissatisfied” with the results, adding that they are yet to discuss with their candidates on the next course of action.

“I personally and FDC party are not satisfied with the polls because of the anomalies. Government vehicles have been used by NRM leaders to ferry people from the districts bordering Omoro to come and vote,” he said.

Mr Chagga also blamed their loss on FDC party members failing to provide block support to the chosen party flag bearers.

For example, FDC member and Gulu LC5 chairperson Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, openly backed Independent Peter Okello Okao, who eventually defeated FDC’s Simon Toolit Akecha by a margin of less than 100 votes.

{{Opposition disunited?}}

NRM publicity secretary for Gulu and Omoro Christopher Opiyo Ateker says their party capitalised on the disunity within the Opposition.

Mr Crispy Kaheru, the coordinator Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda, which deployed observers to all the polling areas, called for the enforcement of the political parties code of conduct, as well as pass a water-tight legislation around campaign financing.

“We have generally seen a lot of voter bribery incidents and questionable assisted voting, especially in Rubanda. Voters too were being seen soliciting money from candidates’ agents, before they proceeded to their respective polling stations to vote,” he said.

{Outgoing Southern African Development Community (SADC) Chairperson and Botswana President Seretse Khama Ian Khama has toasted President John Magufuli for his victory in last year’s general election.}

Mr Khama is in Swaziland for the 36th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government that kicked off yesterday in Mbabane, Swaziland.

The summit ends today and President Khama, who is the current SADC chairperson, is expected to pass the baton to King Mswati III of Swaziland. President Magufuli was represented at the summit by the Vice-President, Ms Samia Suluhu Hassan.

The Botswana president said growth of democracy to SADC member states was increasing at high speed and that it was important to boost those efforts.

President Khama said he had much trust in leaders within the SADC grouping such as Dr Magufuli of Tanzania, who were elected through transparent and peaceful means that would help foster development in the regional bloc.

Heads of States from SADC witnessed during the meeting presentation of awards to students who won essay writing competition as well as journalists who were recognized for their news and feature stories on various issues in the bloc.

The leaders at the 36th meeting are today expected to elect the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson in addition to the Chair for the SADC Organ on Defense, Security and Politics (SADCTroika).

They are also scheduled to receive drafts on amendments of a number of conventions to be presented by the Ministerial Council.

{Burundi’s parliament is set to begin reviewing a report from a national commission, convened by the president, that says the people are in favor of scrapping term limits. Is this a sign the ruling party has been able to use a year-long political crisis to consolidate power? Or could this revitalize the opposition?}

In October 2015, the government of Burundi formed a commission to find a solution to the country’s political crisis.

The crisis began the previous April, when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced a plan to run for a third term, a move that critics said violated the constitution and the Arusha peace agreement that ended the country’s civil war.

The 15-member committee was tasked with collecting the views of Burundians on the best way to put a stop to the crisis.

{{Controversial findings}}

Almost a year later, parliament is set to debate the committee’s provisional report, which says the majority of Burundians favor abolishing the two-term limit from the constitution.

Vital Nshirimana, the head of Burundi’s Forum for Strengthening Civil Society (FORSC), says the views presented to the parliament do not represent those of all Burundians.

“From the start, the commission we noticed that the commission was exclusive, because they only listened to people that are members of the CNDD-FDD [the ruling party] and its allies, who from the beginning talked about amendment of the constitution and the cancellation of the term limits because they believed this was an obstacle for Nkurunziza to run the country forever,” he said.

The opposition group CNARED, whose members are mostly in exile, has accused the government of blocking it from taking part in the political dialogue.

The government has said it is reluctant to speak to those who were involved in armed conflict in the country. Hundreds of people died in clashes between protesters and security agencies last year.

The commission’s president, Bishop Justin Nzoyisaba, acknowledges the commission has consulted only a quarter of the organizations with whom they planned to speak.

“In Bujumbura, we had some groups like journalists and businessmen who we did not speak to… We had 20 groups. We already spoke to six groups, but we will speak to them before the final report,” he said.

Some opposition members say that if term limits are eliminated, it will be a setback for democracy.

Vital says the move to change the constitution will create more problems.

“This is extremely dangerous because this will lead to the same causes that led to the crisis that led to the civil war,” he said.

More than 300,000 Burundians were killed in the 13-year war, which ended in 2006.

{As Mudavadi’s ANC deny they are in talks with Mr Odinga to form a coalition.}

Orange leaders have vowed to ensure party leader Raila Odinga wins the Cord presidential ticket in next year’s General Election.

This comes as the Amani National Congress (ANC) said its leader Musalia Mudavadi is not engaged in any coalition talks with Mr Odinga.

ANC secretary-general Godfrey Osotsi said Mr Mudavadi’s priority was to strengthen the party before starting any talks with like-minded outfits.

ODM national vice chairman Josephat Nanok and seven MPs argued that Mr Odinga stood a better chance of winning the Cord ticket against Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetang’ula and any other candidate interested in the coalition.

“Raila will be the candidate and ODM will win. Party politics is about taking power democratically in elections,” Mr Nanok told Nation by phone.

Kitutu Masaba MP Timothy Bosire and ODM treasurer Florence Mutua (Busia woman rep), Chris Omulele (Luanda), Edick Anyanga (Nyatike), Sylvance Osele (Kabondo Kasipul), Rose Nyamunga (Kisumu woman rep) and Opondo Kaluma (Homa Bay Town) said Mr Odinga is the best bet for Cord.

“Raila has been tried, tested and is trusted. He has a wider constituency across the country and nothing will stop him from clinching the Cord ticket,” Mr Bosire said.

Mr Odinga is battling it out with Mr Musyoka and Mr Wetang’ula for the Cord ticket and he has indicated in the past he is ready to sacrifice his presidential ambition to beat Jubilee.

Last Friday, Luo Council of Elders endorsed him, saying his 2017 candidature is not negotiable. Council chairman Willis Otondi said they resolved to have Mr Odinga’s name on the ballot.

Secretary Owino Nyady said, “We own Raila. Raila does not own us. Therefore our resolution is final. Raila must run for President in 2017 and this matter is not negotiable.”

On Monday, Mr Omulele said Mr Odinga has both local and international networks and a large financial muscle that no other candidate can match.

“Our candidate is Agwambo (Mr Odinga) and we are not compromising on that. He cannot be going round the country campaigning only to support somebody else for the Cord ticket,” he said.

“He is therefore up to the task. Nothing comes on a silver platter. He will fly our flag in 2017. We follow him not just as Mr Odinga but because of what he believes in,” the Luanda MP said.

Mr Anyanga said Mr Odinga’s record speaks for itself.

“The flagbearer is a matter of getting a person with numbers hence possibility of winning. If anybody feels he is popular and can win he or she should join Mr Odinga so they win as a team,” the Nyatike MP said.

He said it is not possible that Mr Odinga will support another candidate.

HUNTING FOR VOTES

“Then why has he been criss-crossing the country in hunt for votes?” asked Mr Anyanga.

Mr Osele said Mr Odinga will not endorse another candidate as witnessed in 2002 when he supported retired President Mwai Kibaki.

“The political dynamics are currently different. During “Kibaki Tosha” time, the idea of coalition was still new and Mr Odinga’s stature was still rising but today the coalition principles are properly entrenched and Raila’s political stature has risen in Coast, Western, Eastern, North Eastern and Nairobi in addition to Nyanza,” he said.

(READ: Raila endorsement by elders bad for Cord – Mutula Jnr)

The stand by the ODM leaders is likely to rub the wrong way their Wiper and Ford Kenya allies who have been lobbying for their leaders to get the Cord ticket. There has also been talk of Mr Odinga disbanding Cord and forming a wider alliance which includes Mr Mudavadi.

But on Monday, ANC’s secretary general Geoffrey Osotsi said it was premature to speak of formal talks between Mr Mudavadi and Mr Odinga.

“The strengthening of ANC party across the country is our main priority as we prepare for the 2017 elections. While doing so, we appreciate the strategic importance of partnerships and coalition building with like-minded political organisations including Cord or its affiliate parties.

Mr Osotsi explained that structured talks on future coalitions which Mr Mudavadi could join will be based on the provisions in the ANC constitution and will not be made by the roadside.

“The structured process of coalition building is clearly specified in our party constitution and at the opportune time that process will be invoked within the framework of our party constitution and the relevant legislation,” he said.

Mr Osotsi was reacting to a report quoting MPs Junet Mohamed (ODM) and Ayub Savula (UDF) that Mr Mudavadi’s ANC was one of the parties which were in talks with Mr Odinga to form a super alliance that will garner adequate numbers to defeat the Jubilee Coalition in the 2017 elections.

He argued the fact that ANC has a commonality with the Cord coalition on policy issues should not be used to claim that Mr Mudavadi was in talks to join the opposition coalition.