FDC, ANT submit signatures for presidential nomination
The FDC electoral commission chairman, Mr Boniface Toterebuka Bamwenda, addresses journalists about the progress of collecting signatures for their presidential candidate at the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi, Kampala, yesterday. PHOTO | KELVIN ATUHAIRE
What you need to know:
- Return forms. So far 19, presidential aspirants out of 86, have handed in their signatures. Five are from political paries. These include the ruling NRM, FDC, ANT, National Unity Party and Ecological Party of Uganda. Presidential candidates will be nominated on November 2 and 3.
The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) parties yesterday submitted signatures endorsing their candidates for the 2021 presidential race to the Electoral Commission.
Under the Presidential Elections Act, presidential aspirants are required to collect at least 100 signatures per district from two thirds of the country’s districts and cities as a precondition for their nomination.
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) party fulfilled this requirement last Fiday.
FDC yesterday submitted more than 90,000 signatures from 111 districts while ANT presented more than 15,000 signatures from 100 districts.
Threshold
There are 146 districts in the country and political parties are required to submit at least 9,800 signatures from 98 districts.
Mr Boniface Toterebuka Bamwenda, the FDC electoral commission chief, told journalists that they had handed in more than the required signatures to avoid any inconveniences incase some voters are rejected during the verification exercise.
“We have complied with this requirement as per the law. We want them to verify the signatures and clear our candidate. After EC clears us, we shall then book date and time when our candidate, Mr Patrick Amuriat, will be nominated,” Mr Bamwenda said.
His ANT counterpart, Mr Dan Mugarura, said they will also be able to book nomination date and time after the EC has cleared them.
Ms Liz Kobugabe, the EC head of verification of signatures, told the two parties that a voter is not supposed to second more than two candidates.
The EC spokesperson, Mr Paul Bukenya, told Daily Monitor that the commission has to scrutinise all the signatures handed in by candidates to ensure that they are registered voters in the National Register.
Mr Bukenya said the commission had already received signatures of 17 aspiring candidates.
Return forms
So far 19, presidential aspirants out of 86, have handed in their signatures. Five are from political paries. These include the ruling NRM, FDC, ANT, National Unity Party and Ecological Party of Uganda. Presidential candidates will be nominated on November 2 and 3.
