Condolences continue to pour in over the death of Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah with politicians across different parties recalling his contribution to the country.
However, we have decided to make you understand what happens when the office of the Speaker of Parliament goes vacant.
Article 82 of the constitution creates the office of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of Parliament. It is to the effect that the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker are to be elected from among the elected Members of Parliament.
The Article equally makes the members of the cabinet or the Executive ineligible to be elected as Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Similarly, no business can be transacted in Parliament before the election of the Speaker. The core responsibility of the Speaker of Parliament is to chair business in the house. This means that at any point the position is vacant, no business shall go ahead in Parliament until the position has been filled.
The election of the Speaker is presided over by the Chief Justice or any Judge designated by the Chief Justice. Upon the election of the Speaker, he or she presides over the election of the Deputy Speaker. The election of the Deputy Speaker is equally done in the first seating after the office has fallen vacant.
Article 82 also outlines the conditions under which a person may seize to be a Speaker or Deputy Speaker. This can be through appointment to a public office, becoming a member of the cabinet, he may also resign in writing addressed to the clerk of Parliament or through a resolution supported by two-thirds of Members of Parliament, or finally if he or she seizes to be a Member of Parliament.
According to lawyer and Bugiri Municipality member of parliament, it is not automatic that the deputy speaker automatically takes up the speakership seat. He also says that for any minister to contest for the speakership seat, they must resign and give up their offices now.
This means MPs will have to first elect the next Speaker before their next sitting.