The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission has announced that the party will conduct primaries for LCII chairpersons and Parish Women Council committees across the country on Friday, July 31, as it advances its grassroots electoral roadmap.
Speaking at a press briefing at the NRM Electoral Commission headquarters in Kampala on Thursday, Commission Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi said the exercise follows what he described as the party’s strong performance in the recently concluded LCI chairperson elections held on July 28.
Dr. Odoi, who was accompanied by Deputy Chairperson Fred Jacan Omach and Commissioner Amb. James Williams Kinobe, said provisional results show that NRM flag bearers won 51,093 of the 71,214 LCI chairperson positions, representing 71.7 per cent of all villages.
According to the Commission, independent candidates, most of whom are aligned to the NRM, won 13,861 villages (19.5 per cent), while candidates from other political parties secured 3,971 villages (5.6 per cent). Elections are still pending in 2,289 villages, representing 3.2 per cent.
Dr. Odoi congratulated party supporters on the victory and urged independent leaders who share the NRM’s ideology to continue working with the party to advance its programmes at the grassroots.
He said only elected members of LCI executive committees in their respective villages will be eligible to contest for the NRM flag in the LCII chairperson primaries. Members of the Village Women Council committees will also form the electoral college to elect the party’s flag bearers for the Parish Women Council committees.
Dr. Odoi explained that in parishes where the Electoral Commission is yet to complete LCI elections, the NRM will wait for the village polls scheduled for Saturday, August 1, before conducting the affected LCII and Parish Women Council primaries on Sunday, August 2, subject to clearance by the Electoral Commission.
He said the Electoral Commission will conduct nominations for LCII chairperson and Parish Women Council candidates on August 3, while the general elections for Parish Women Councils are scheduled for August 7. Elections for LCII chairpersons will be held on August 10.
Dr. Odoi urged parish-level party leaders to ensure that candidates who win the primaries promptly collect, complete and submit their nomination forms.
“Do not keep the forms at home,” he warned, saying failure to complete the nomination process could leave the party without candidates in the official elections.
He also stressed the need for every village to have a fully constituted 11-member LCI executive committee, noting that the committee serves as the electoral college for electing the NRM flag bearer for LCII chairperson.
On the voting procedure, Dr. Odoi said the primaries will be conducted by lining up behind candidates, the same method to be used by the Electoral Commission during the official Local Council elections. Only registered voters whose names appear on the respective voters’ registers will be allowed to participate.
He said the NRM Electoral Commission will continue providing updates as the party implements the remaining stages of its Local Council electoral roadmap.
