FDC President Patrick Oboi Amuriat has made it clear the party will oppose all constitutional amendments except one for transitional government from President Yoweri Museveni.
Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is Uganda’s largest opposition political party.
On July 03, its leadership appeared before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee to offer views on the revised electoral road map.
The party president revealed that “besides ‘campaigning digitally’, there’s genuine fear that at the eleventh hour, the EC and Government may further exploit the pandemic to impose on us another aspect of ‘voting digitally.”
Amuriat warned “this is not the occasion to exploit the pandemic and amend the Constitution purposely to profit, secure and advantage some individuals or groups interested in retaining power by all means necessary.”
“That would be selfish, counterproductive and most unfortunate,” he emphasized.
“FDC does not support a hastily undertaken constitutional amendment that is merely aimed at re-arranging our politics in light of the Covid19 pandemic.”
He also insisted the constitution had guidelines on how to handle the current situation.
Amuriat blasted the Electoral Commission (EC) for not telling the president the truth that he needed to declare a state of emergency and postpone elections.
“All this instability, fear, chaos and confusion arise from the refusal by the government to declare a State of Emergency, at the earliest opportunity to enable the management of the Republic in a transparent and accountable manner during this crisis.”
A national emergency would mean that the Speaker of Parliament takes over as acting president.
Museveni would likely agree to declare a state of emergency if Parliament amended the Constitution to allow him remain president.
But Amuriat says FDC will only back amendments to form a transitional government and push Museveni out.
“Should it be inevitable, for the country to stray into murky waters of constitutional amendment, the only constitutional amendment the FDC would propose is for the introduction of a TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT,” Amuriat said.
He argued that such a government would “cater for a situation of no elections at a time when they are constitutionally supposed to take place and the term of the current government is elapsing.”
EC Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama recently said the commission was considering new guidelines to allow regulated political meetings.
