NUP withdraws from EALA elections

By Francis Lubega

30^th Aug 2022

The opposition National Unity Platform –NUP has withdrawn from participating in the forthcoming East African Legislative Assembly –EALA elections.

This has been disclosed and confirmed by the Leader of Opposition in Parliament Mathias Mpuuga Mpuuga while responding to the concern of the Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among.

Speaker Among had informed parliament that its only NUP remaining to submit the name of their EALA candidate as elections for EALA candidates closes on September 17, 2022.

Mpuuga who sounded bitter told the house that as NUP, they can’t take part in the shallow and ritualized EALA elections with the National Resistance Movement-NRM government.

He said that the EALA elections have been turned into a one political party system where NRM ritually takes six slots out of the nine and even the remaining three are dictated upon on who should win from the opposition.

Already the ruling National Resistance Movement NRM has lined its serving MPs in EALA to be re-elected for the second 5 year term, They include Mary Mugyenyi, Rose Akol, Stephen George Odongo, Denis Namara, James Kakooza, and Paul Musamali Mwasa who were recommended by the NRM CEC to be taken back.

The Opposition Uganda People’s Congress has brought Ebil Otto, Forum for Democratic Change FDC also presented Anold Kaija for the same position.

Elected representatives to EALA from the 7 member states of Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Burundi, and new entrant the Democratic Republic of Congo – DRC serve a five-year-tenure. The current 4th Assembly has 62 members, whose term commenced in 2017 and expires in August 2022.

According to Article 50 of the East African Community Treaty, members are elected by their respective country’s national legislature. Article 50 also requires the said members to reflect their country’s political parties, opinions, gender composition, and other special groups.