Uganda’s Electoral Commission (EC) Thursday revealed that elections for Local Council (LC) one will take place on November21, 2017.
Addressing the press at EC offices in Kampala, Justice Simon Byabakama, the EC Chairman said that LC1 voting will not be by secret ballot but rather voters will line up behind their preferred candidates in 50,000 villages.
“The election shall be by voters lining behind the nominated candidates or their representatives,” Byabakama said.
He noted that section 111 (2) of the Local Government Act gives them powers to use the above method.
The process for LCI and II polls that is estimated to cost Shs12.17bn will begin in October and climax with voting in November. The EC boss revealed that voting will take about 30 minutes.
Ugandans and civil society organizations have in the past expressed dissatisfaction with the method of voting by lining up. For example, Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU) has been on record for opposing this method. Uganda has not held LC1 and II polls for a long time.
