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FDC chooses new party leader today
FDC delegates register for accreditation at the party headquarters ahead of the party presidential elections today. PHOTO BY REBECCA VASSIE.
What you need to know:
A total of 850 delegates from the 80 original districts of 2010 will cast their votes for the candidate of their choice among the three candidates.
Kampala
2pm today is the commensurate time set for the much anticipated Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Party presidency election to be held at the Namboole National Stadium.
A total of 850 delegates from the 80 original districts of 2010 will cast their votes for the candidate of their choice between Leader of the Opposition Nathan Nandala Mafabi, Gen. Mugisha Muntu and Tororo County MP Geoffrey Ekanya.
Dr Besigye’s role
The outgoing party president, Dr Kizza Besigye, will be at the voting venue today. It is, however, not clear whether Dr Besigye will participate in the voting process, having stayed away from the three month campaign.
FDC officials said he was at liberty to exercise his right to vote. Today’s elections will be overseen by a two-man FDC Electoral Commission, headed by Mr Dan Mugarura and deputised by Mr Kudeba.
Originally, the commission was a four-man commission that included FDC’s deputy Electoral Commissioner Michael Kabaziguruka (currently remanded in Luzira Prison) and another member, Ms Catherine Ddembe, who resigned her position to campaign for Gen. Muntu.
The delegates will vote in 10 different polling stations within the stadium premises. Each polling station has a list of districts where the delegates will vote from. All the 80 districts have been intermingled in the 10 stations to avoid regional bulk voting for a single candidate.
According to Mr Mugarura, tallying of ballots will take place at Namboole and the winner announced by 7pm. He said the commission had recruited 30 polling officials for the election. “Each polling station will have three polling agents. The tallying of votes will be conducted by the agents in the presence of those of the three candidates,” he said.
The delegates are divided into two categories; 146 delegates from the National Executive Council (NEC) and 704 delegates from 80 districts.
Choice of delegates
The FDC chairperson in-charge of Kampala, Mr Livingstone Kizito, yesterday said each constituency had sent two delegates while each of the 80 districts had sent five delegates. “The delegates were elected from designated polling area across the country through the various parishes to the constituencies,” Mr Kizito said.
Districts delegates yesterday flocked the FDC offices in Najjanankumbi and the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC) offices on Katonga Road in Kampala to register and receive their accreditation. NEC delegates received their accreditation at Katonga road. For avoidance of confusion and impersonation, the names of 850 delegates were publicly displayed at the party offices.
Up-country district delegates will today receive a transport refund of Shs150,000, having received an accommodation facilitation of Shs40,000 yesterday. Kampala delegates will only receive Shs50,000.
Through the three-month campaign period, an FDC Security Committee led by Mr Salim Angoliga and Mr Kizito have been coordinating with the Uganda Police to provide security. Today’s security arrangements will be led by the Jinja Road Police RPC.
Vehicles heading to the voting centre in Namboole will be required to have a security parking sticker provided by the FDC security Committee. Police will be required to enforce the use of these stickers.
