Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has responded to Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda’s letter.
Dr. Rugunda wrote on behalf of the executive requesting the Speaker to convene an urgent Parliamentary Commission meeting to postpone the election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
In her response, Kadaga says that the Parliamentary Commission has no powers over extension of Speaker of Parliament and Deputy Speaker election date.
“It’s only the President with the powers under the Constitution,” said Kadaga.
In a letter dated May 4, Rugunda asked Kadaga to convene an urgent Parliamentary Commission meeting to postpone the election to a date beyond May 21.
According to Rugunda, parties that will be represented in the 11th parliament might need to meet their members in caucus to decide on who to endorse for parliament’s top positions.
Voting for Speaker and Deputy Speaker are the first activities done by Parliament after swearing in and for this year, swearing in is slated for May 17 and May 18.