Thursday, March 30, 2006

DP Plans Post-election retreat



DP members plans to head into retreat April 20-23, 2006 to discuss the implications of the 2006 elections. The retreat will be at Ranch on the Lake in Entebbe. Picture left, DP PG and SG, Dr. Richard Ottoo addressing a press conference in Kampala today.

Monday, March 06, 2006

DP wins Masaka and Jinja Municipality seats, falls in Gulu

Elections for Mayor in Uganda's 14 municipalities ended yesterday. DP's incumbent Alex Ojera lost in Gulu Municipality. DP Vice Chair Besweri Kezaala swept aside the incumbent Wakudumira in Jinja by a 2:1 margin while Masaka Municipality Mayor John Tebyasa was slightly ahead of the NRM candidate in early returns filed with the local press Monday night.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Election Petitions reveal quandary of irregularities

Uganda's 2006 elections are being lauded as a watershed in terms of the freedom that accompanied the polling. Not so fast, the semblance of normalcy is quickly being thrown into challenge by election petitioners. So far, the biggest headache for candidates and their agents is the wide latitude given to the Returning Officer to announce election results. The Returning Officers' announcement ends all challenges to the counting process throwing it to the courts. Several Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) appointed as returning officers used this power to frustrate candidates and their agents before declaring a winner. Since the Returning Officer collects results from field agents who include polling assistants and assistant returning officers, the integrity of the process is supposed to be checked by candidates' agents signature and countermanding of the tally sheets used to prepare an official Declaration of Results.

Norbert Mao wins Gulu LC V Chair

Outgoing Gulu Municipality MP won the Gulu district LC V seat polling 77.7% of the vote. He defeated Col. Walter Ochora who has served for 2 terms. Col. Ochora is remembered for the Radio Uganda announcement that ended Milton Obote's second presidency on July 28, 1985. Mao relinquishes Chairmanship of the DP Parliamentary caucus, will live and work in Gulu full-time.