SIMBYAKULA

By CATHERINE NYIRENDA-
THE final Draft Constitution that was released to Parliament last week has proposed that the Republican President be given powers to appoint Cabinet ministers outside Parliament.
According to part five, sub-section 114 (1), the President shall appoint a prescribed number of persons, who are not members of Parliament but who qualify to be, as ministers, subject to ratification by the National Assembly.
The clause stipulates that the President can appoint any number of persons that he so wishes to serve as Cabinet ministers as long as they have qualifications to become MPs.
The Cabinet appointees do not necessarily have to be MPs but can be any ordinary citizens with no political party affiliation.
This is contained in the new Draft Constitution which was released last Thursday by acting Justice Minister Ngosa Simbyakula.
Under the chapter on the Executive, clause (2) states that a minister shall be responsible, under the direction of the President, for the policy and strategic direction of a ministry, department or other State institution, as assigned by the President.
Clause (4) further states that a minister shall attend the sittings of the National Assembly when requested to do so by the Speaker for a particular purpose, upon notice to the Speaker.
The same part sub-section 108 of the Draft Constitution proposes that a Vice-President shall be a running mate to the presidential candidate in the general elections.
Contrary to the current trend where the Vice-President is appointed by the President, the new Constitution proposes that the Vice-President should also be voted into office just like people vote for the President.
Clause (1) states that there shall be a Vice-President for the Republic who shall be the running mate to a presidential candidate in a presidential election.
In clause (2) the Draft Constitution states that the qualifications and disqualifications applying to a presidential candidate apply to the person selected by the presidential candidate to be the running mate.
“An election to the office of Vice-President shall be conducted at the same time as that of an election to the office of President so that a vote cast for a presidential candidate is a vote cast for the running mate, and if the presidential candidate is elected, the running mate shall be considered to have been elected,” clause (3) states, while clause (4) states that a Vice-President-elect shall be sworn into office by the Chief Justice or, in the absence of the Chief Justice, the Deputy Chief Justice.
It goes on to state in clause (5) that the Vice-President shall assume office on the same day that the President assumes office, among other proposals.