KYADONDO: Attention has now shifted to State House Entebbe where the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) is expected to make decisive choices that will shape the leadership of the 12th Parliament, after the party officially concluded receiving expressions of interest for the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
The much-anticipated decisions by the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC) and later the Parliamentary Caucus have triggered intense political speculation, with many likening the process to the Vatican’s papal elections where the world waits for white smoke to signal the election of a pope. In the NRM’s case, Ugandans are now waiting for the “yellow smoke” from Entebbe to reveal who the ruling party has settled on.
Speaking at the close of the exercise on Saturday, the Chairperson of the NRM Electoral Commission, Dr. Tanga Odoi, confirmed that the process attracted three aspirants for Speaker and sixteen candidates for Deputy Speaker.
According to Dr. Odoi, the exercise followed a directive issued by the party’s Central Executive Committee during its May 22 sitting, instructing the Electoral Commission to receive expressions of interest from NRM legislators seeking the influential parliamentary offices.
“The expression of interest started yesterday and today we have concluded the exercise. We now have three candidates for Speaker and sixteen candidates for Deputy Speaker,” he said.
He revealed that all aspirants will appear before the CEC on Sunday morning for vetting, where the Electoral Commission will present their names together with summarised curriculum vitae for consideration.
“The people who have expressed interest in the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be vetted by the Central Executive Committee tomorrow. After presentation by the Electoral Commission, CEC will guide on the way forward,” Dr. Odoi explained.
The development effectively places the final decision in the hands of the top party organ, which will determine whether the NRM fronts consensus candidates or allows all aspirants to proceed to a vote before the parliamentary caucus.
“If CEC says we take one candidate for Speaker and one for Deputy Speaker, that becomes the party position. If CEC says all candidates proceed to the caucus for election by lining up, that also becomes the position,” he noted.
The NRM Parliamentary Caucus is expected to convene later on Sunday at State House Entebbe, where party legislators will choose official flag bearers for the two powerful parliamentary offices ahead of Monday’s parliamentary vote.
“By tomorrow evening, the NRM flag bearers for Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be known,” Dr. Odoi stated.
With the ruling party commanding an overwhelming majority in Parliament, the outcome of Sunday’s meetings is widely expected to determine who eventually takes over the Speaker and Deputy Speaker positions.
“We are confident we shall win because the numbers do not lie. NRM has 372 Members of Parliament and we urge them to vote as one bloc and in one file so that the Speakership remains within NRM,” Dr. Odoi said.
