EC rolls out roadmap for Soroti East MP election
Mr Moses Attan Okia swears in flanked by his two wives at Parliament on May 17, 2021. PHOTO/ DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- The new roadmap will involve stakeholders drawn from various political parties, security agencies, interested contestants and religious leaders
The Electoral Commission (EC) will today roll out another road map for elections of another Member of Parliament for Soroti East Division in Soroti City.
This comes after Court of Appeal last month ruled that the incumbent MP, Mr Moses Okia Attan, was irregularly elected.
The new roadmap will involve stakeholders drawn from various political parties, security agencies, interested contestants and religious leaders.
On May 24, Court of Appeal threw Mr Attan out of Parliament on grounds that EC failed to conduct free and fair elections. This followed the annexation and transfer of Opiyai and Aloet wards from Soroti East to Soroti West.
Mr Attan of FDC and EC were dragged to court by Mr Herbert Ariko, now serving as private secretary to Speaker of Parliament Anita Among.
The roadmap will also focus on how to conduct the elections for Pioneer Ward, whose councillor, Mr Gabriel Etesot, was appointed the deputy RDC for Serere District.
According to the EC chairperson, Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama, between June 10 and June 14, EC will conduct an update of the national voters register.
He adds that the cut off for the update of the register and transfer of voting location will end on June 14.
The EC chairperson says from June 15 to June16, they wil recruit officials to display the voters’ register.
Mr Byabakama says from June 17 to June 27, EC will display a list of recruited displaying officials at the office of the city returning officer and division headquarters.
After that, EC will start training the officers, officials and supervisors.
Display of register
“Display of voters’ register will be from June 27 to July 7 at various polling stations,” the road map draft issued by the EC chairperson reads in part.
The draft also stipulates that from July 7 to 12, EC will display tribunal recommendations for inclusion on the voters register at the ward.
Mr Byabakama says the nomination of candidates by the returning officer will be held from July 18 to 19.
The Commission will also undertake the inspection of candidates’ nomination papers and lodging of complaints from July 20 to July 25.
Mr Byabakama adds that the nominated candidates will start their campaigns from July 21 to July 26 while polling day is July 28.
So far three people have expressed public interest in contesting for the seat. They are the ousted Moses Okia Attan of FDC, Norman Emachu of NUP, and Jimmy Ekemu of NRM.
