The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has won 47,405 parish-level Women Council committee positions, representing 94.5 per cent of the positions whose results have so far been compiled.
The results are from the August 7 Women Council committee elections conducted by the Electoral Commission in 10,717 parishes across the country.
Addressing journalists at the NRM Electoral Commission headquarters in Kampala on Tuesday, NRM Electoral Commission chairperson Dr Tanga Odoi said the preliminary results were based on returns from 135 of the 146 districts.
He said independent candidates, including some perceived to be NRM-leaning, had secured 1,688 positions, representing 3.4 per cent, while other political parties had won 389 positions, or 0.7 per cent.
Results for 693 positions, equivalent to 1.4 per cent, were still pending by Tuesday.
Dr Odoi expressed confidence that the NRM would maintain its lead once the outstanding results are received.
He also said preliminary results from the recently concluded LCII chairperson elections indicate that the ruling party is commanding about 85 per cent of the positions, although the final figures are still being compiled.
Dr Odoi congratulated NRM members on what he described as significant grassroots victories and commended President Museveni, the party secretariat and other stakeholders for their participation in the electoral process.
Adjumani West by-election
The NRM Electoral Commission also unveiled a roadmap for selecting the party’s flag bearer for the Adjumani West parliamentary by-election following the death of the area MP, Gen Moses Ali.
The party will also select a flag bearer for the sub-county female councillor representing older persons in Pachara Sub-county, Adjumani District.
For the Adjumani West parliamentary seat, expression of interest opened on August 10 at the NRM Secretariat headquarters.
Parliamentary nominations are scheduled for August 17 and 18 at the NRM headquarters, while nominations for the sub-county councillor position will be conducted at the Adjumani District Election Officer’s office on the same dates.
On August 19, the nominated candidates will meet the District Election Officer to draw up a joint campaign programme.
The party will subsequently update and clean its voters’ register from August 20 to 31 ahead of the NRM primaries on September 3.
Dr Odoi said parliamentary aspirants must be Ugandan citizens aged 18 years and above, registered NRM members and voters with the National Electoral Commission.
They must also possess an Advanced Level certificate or its equivalent. He said candidates with foreign qualifications must have their academic documents certified by the relevant Ugandan authorities.
The aspirants must not be government employees, members of the armed forces, police or prisons services, or cultural leaders.
Each parliamentary aspirant will be required to pay a non-refundable Shs3 million expression-of-interest fee.
For the female councillor position representing older persons, candidates must be Ugandan women aged 18 years and above, registered NRM members and not civil servants. The expression-of-interest fee is Shs20,000, payable to the Adjumani District Election Officer.
Women Council primaries
Meanwhile, the NRM will on Wednesday conduct party primaries for Women Councils at sub-county level across the country.
Dr Odoi said only members who belong to specified NRM structures will be eligible to participate.
He said members of parish Women Council committees within the respective sub-county who are NRM members will be eligible to contest and vote.
Representatives of women with disabilities, elected through their established structures at sub-county level and who are NRM members, will also be eligible to participate.
Dr Odoi cautioned individuals against attempting to join the electoral process from outside the prescribed party structures, saying participation at parish level forms the basis for qualification at sub-county level.
The primaries will be conducted through lining up behind candidates.
He also warned non-Ugandan nationals against participating in the NRM electoral process, saying only Ugandan citizens who meet the party’s eligibility requirements can contest or vote.
The NRM Electoral Commission said it will continue issuing updates on the progress of the Women Council elections as the process moves to subsequent levels.
