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The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has joined Opposition parties in opposing the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2024 that seeks to have the Leader of Opposition (LoP) elected by Opposition lawmakers.

The NRM’s Director of Legal Affairs, Mr Enoch Barata, told the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee that the Bill undermines the provisions of the law meant to empower the main Opposition party.

“The spirit of the law is that the party that achieves the biggest number of the popular vote forms the government. It is that same spirit that says that the other party that achieves the next highest vote selects the LoP. So there is a popular vote to it and you cannot purport to take that away,” Mr Barata said.

In a rejoinder, the NRM Secretary General, Mr Richard Todwong, reasoned that the current legal provision should be sustained because the NRM believes “it is better to deal with an organised Opposition.”

Prior to the NRM presentation, the National Unity Platform (NUP) party leadership dismissed the proposal law, saying that the Bill was crafted in bad spirit, with the aim of removing the current LoP, Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, from his post.

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