EC favouring NRM in LC elections - Opposition

Kampala. Opposition parties have accused the Electoral Commission (EC) of helping the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party to sweep the ongoing Local Council elections.
The village Women Council leaders elections have been concluded and the election of LCI chairpersons will take place on Tuesday, July 10.
Mr Muhammed Kateregga, the secretary general of Justice Forum (Jeema) party, claims that in some parts of the country, EC officials told women contesting on Opposition parties’ tickets that there were no fresh nominations.
“Opposition candidates, not only those of Jeema, were being told that the previous nominations (held in November last year) still hold and so most of them missed on the Women Council elections. This is the reason the NRM has gone ahead of us because EC has helped them,” Mr Kateregga said.
He claimed that this was reported in Greater Masaka region and some parts of Apac District.
Mr Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party spokesperson, concedes that his party, which has the biggest representation in Parliament among Opposition parties, has not been able to field candidates in all the villages in the country.
He says some of the Opposition candidates have been denied nominations to let NRM candidates go through unopposed.
Mr Ssemujju further claims EC officials, in some parts of Wakiso District, made sure that wherever an Opposition candidate has been nominated unopposed, another NRM candidate is nominated by force.
“Actually, this has happened in many areas where an FDC or DP candidate is unopposed but the EC officials ensured that NRM gets a candidate. They have also in some places ensured NRM candidates go unopposed,” Mr Ssemujju said.
Mr Ssemujju also claimed that there have been threats to Opposition supporters in areas such as Kasokoso in Wakiso District, where he says people are living in fear of being evicted from land and have been blackmailed into returning NRM candidates as winners.
“I also went to Karamoja with some of our MPs but they [Opposition candidates] are being asked for police authorisation to hold a rally for their LC1 candidates,” Mr Ssemujju said.
However, Democratic Party (DP) spokesperson Paul Kakande, said all has gone well until now.
“As DP, we have not had issues reported from all over the country … and we are doing well. The music you are seeing following NRM candidates is just accountability but on election day, the opposition will run the show.”

EC responds
On accusations of favouring NRM, Mr Jotham Taremwa, the EC spokesperson, said there has been no official complaint lodged by any Opposition party or individual about candidates being blocked from nominations or any other malpractice that may advantage the ruling party.
“Those allegations are very old. They (Opposition) keep recycling them every time there is an election,” Mr Taremwa said.