The Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee yesterday tabled its main report on the proposed constitutional amendments in which they have called for a "comprehensive constitutional amendment process".
They also rejected Opposition calls for "meaningful electoral reforms".
The report signed by 22 MPs was presented by Mr Stephen Tashobya (NRM, Kajara), who informed the House that under Article 72 b (4), the committee rejected the requirement for 1,000 signatures for the nomination of Independents on grounds that it's discriminatory since candidates who are backed by political parties are required to collect only 20 signatures.
The committee also adopted a government proposal to set up a Salaries and Remuneration Board to be responsible for setting the salaries for all civil servants in the country but exempted MPs and Parliamentary Commission staff from its jurisdiction.
However, a minority report by Mr Medard Sseggona (Busiro East), to be presented today, disagreed with the main report and insisted that "it's not sufficient to change the name of the Electoral Commission". Mr Sseggona will demand for transparent appointments of the commissioners to ensure free and fair elections.
Opposition speak out
The Opposition have demanded that the qualification of the commissioners be provided for in the law and their term of office secure to ensure that they work independently. They have also recommended that the proposed nine commissioners be appointed by the Judicial Service Commission. And any removal of a member of the commission shall be referred to a tribunal appointed by JSC. Read more
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