FDC to Embark on Nationwide Protests Over Age Limit Ruling

Opposition political party Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has announced countrywide protests over court’s ruling on age limit petition.

Addressing journalists during a weekly press conference on Monday, FDC President, Patrick Amuriat said they were disappointed by the court’s ruling and that they will protest against it.

“The Judges’ body language indicated there was an invisible hand or voice in their judgement,” Amuriat said.

“If you think it is business as usual, you are wrong. It is business unusual. We are going to mobilise the public for an uprising.”

Amuriat explained that it is high time they mobilised the public against the unfair judgment that he said didnt reflect the will of the people.

The FDC President noted that judges failed to act independent, adding that it seems someone influenced them and the judgment they made.

According to FDC, they will protest the outcome of the judgment on age limit.

The Constitutional Court has upheld the removal of the Presidential age limit from the constitution by Parliament last year.

On Thursday last week, the 5 Justices of the Constitutional Court sitting at the High Court in Mbale delivered their judgment on the contentious constitutional amendments which were challenged in a consolidated petition.

Majority of the Justices (four out of five) ruled that the amendment of Article 102 (b) of the Constitution did not contravene the Constitution, neither did it contravene Parliament’s rules of procedure.

These were Justice Cheborion Barishaki, Elizabeth Musoke, Alphonse Owiny-Dollo and Remmy Kasule.

In his ruling, Deputy Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny-Dollo said that by design, the Article in question was not in its passing in 1995 gazetted as a fundamental feature of the Constitution requiring entrenchment.

At the same time, the entire bench negated the amendment that extended the term of MPs in office from the constitutional 5 years to 7.