Opposition leaders ask court to block age limit removal
Mr Ken Lukyamuzi of the Conservative party , Mr Asuman Basalirwa of Jeema and former presidential candidate Dr Abed Bwanika of the People's Development Party (PDP) filed the case in the High Court of Kampala against the attorney general.
What you need to know:
- The Electoral Commission says the law on referendum only provides for collection of signatures in a traditional way for purposes of display yet the ICC says the process will be marred by fraud.
- However , the deputy registrar of the court Sarah Langa was not at court to quickly allocate the case file to a judge for hearing since all judicial officers had converged at High Court for a general meeting.
KAMPALA. Three Opposition leaders have petitioned the High Court seeking orders to stop parliament from discussing the planned amendment of Article 102(b) of the constitution to lift the presidential age limit; without first consulting citizens through a referendum.
The Opposition leaders; former presidential candidate Dr Abed Bwanika of the People's Development Party (PDP), Mr Asuman Basalirwa of Jeema and Mr Ken Lukyamuzi of the Conservative party filed the case in the High Court in Kampala against the attorney general.
According to court documents, the opposition leaders claim that it is only through a referendum that citizens can fully participate in the political affairs of their country but the Electoral Commission (EC) and Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) have since frustrated their efforts to ably push for a referendum.
To support their claim, Dr Bwanika filed an affidavit saying that he had notified EC of the need to hold a referendum on the issue of the presidential age limit in June 2017 but he only got a response four months later in October after the Igara East Member of Parliament Raphael Magyezi had tabled his bill.
“Upon receipt of Form D from EC to collect the required 1.5 million signatures from people who were very enthusiastic about the need of the referendum from most parts of Uganda, this process was frustrated by police that arrested and confiscated over 40, 000 signatures, making it impossible for me to submit them on time yet parliament will debate on the matter this week,” Dr Bwanika said.
Parliament’s legal affairs committee was expected to table a report on the amendment of Article 102(b).
Bwanika contends that unless court orders that Parliament temporarily suspends discussing the age limit amendment bill, the citizens’ rights to directly participate in the governance of their country will be violated.
The trio want court to compel the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) provide a USSD code on which they can collect electoral signatures and also compel the Electoral Commission to accept and consider the said signatures for purposes of holding a referendum.
Through their lawyers Ladislous Rwakafuuzi and Luyimbazi Nalukoola, they contend that it is cheaper and quicker to collect Electronic signatures as opposed to the traditional way but the Electoral commission on the advice of UCC have refused to accept this move.
The Electoral Commission says the law on referendum only provides for collection of signatures in a traditional way for purposes of display yet the ICC says the process will be marred by fraud.
However , the deputy registrar of the court Sarah Langa was not at court to quickly allocate the case file to a judge for hearing since all judicial officers had converged at High Court for a general meeting.
