Opposition's Unity Gamble Falls Short in Speaker Election Again

The struggle of Uganda’s opposition parties to convert their parliamentary presence into electoral victories was starkly evident once more during the recent Speaker elections for the 12th Parliament. Even with a consolidated front behind the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate, Paul Mwiru, the opposition could not surpass the dominance of the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Jacob Oboth Oboth of the NRM secured a commanding victory with 441 votes out of 519 cast. In contrast, Mwiru received only 60 votes, and Democratic Party President Norbert Mao garnered 15, with three ballots deemed spoiled. This outcome dashed hopes of swaying any ruling party members or independents, echoing similar defeats in previous speaker races.

In the 11th Parliament’s speaker elections, the opposition candidate Ibrahim Ssemujju secured a mere 15 votes against Jacob Oulanyah. Following Oulanyah’s passing, Anita Annet Among won the speakership with 401 votes, defeating opposition candidate Assuman Basalirwa, who received 66.

Despite the repeated setbacks, some opposition legislators noted a marginal improvement. John Baptist Nambeshe, the outgoing NUP chief whip, pointed out that Mwiru’s 60 votes exceeded NUP’s 48-member caucus, suggesting increased solidarity. However, he also acknowledged that some opposition MPs were absent during the vote.

NUP’s George Musisi stressed the need for opposition parties to prioritize a unified agenda over individual political ambitions to effectively challenge the NRM’s majority. Similarly, Erias Luyimbaazi Nalukola of NUP warned that a lack of close ranks and stronger cooperation would perpetuate similar results in future contests.

He emphasized that the position of Speaker should ideally be held by an impartial arbiter, accessible to any party regardless of its size, provided they can persuade other members. However, this ideal remains elusive in the current Ugandan political landscape.

The NRM further solidified its control by sweeping the Deputy Speaker position as well, with Thomas Tayebwa winning comfortably. The current parliamentary composition sees the NRM with a significant majority, supported by independent MPs, dwarfing the numbers of opposition parties like NUP, FDC, DP, and UPC.

Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda) https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/opposition-s-numbers-gamble-fails-again-in-speaker-race-as-calls-for-unity-grow—5473416