We can’t recognise you; register first, Akol tells political parties

The Chairperson of the Political Parties’ Council, James Akol. [File, The City Review]

The Chairperson of the Political Parties’ Council, James Akol, urged the unregistered political parties to first obtain the registration certificates before exercising their political rights.

Akol told The City Review in an interview on Wednesday that the parties will only be considered legal entities after duly registering with the Political Parties Council and obtaining the certificates.  

“They aspire to be a political party.  And for you to be a political party you must register with us. When you register with us, you have the certificate of registration and this is where you can call yourself a political party,” Akol said.

According to him, any mere citizen can come up with a political party but the legitimacy lies in the registration to make in a party.  

The PPC boss further explained that the registration process is ongoing and open to anyone who wishes to register formally.

“The registration is a continuous process.  So anyone who wants to register can come. Anyone who wants to register can come but we do not go to the individuals and call them to come and register,” Akol said. 

For months, the battle between unregistered political parties and the PPC has raged after the latter capped the registration fees at $ 75, 000, a figure that many of them described as “a blatant attack on democracy and an attempt to silence opposition voice.”

The PPC released a checklist in March 2024 stipulating that for any political party to obtain a certificate and become a qualified ahead of polls, it must table an application for provisional registration and include a copy of the constitution.”

  “A request for party names, a proposed party logo, a manifesto, a banker depositor as the applicant, and a provisional registration fee of $ 50,000 in favor of the political parties’ council, according to item no.1 of the second schedule of the political parties’ council (Amendment) regulation 2024,” the council noted in the checklist on March.   

But the battle raged until the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Ruben Madol, broke the silence on Monday and denounced the decision taken By the PPC to charge political parties $75,000 for the process, terming it “null and void.”

However, Akol responded by saying the letter did not reach his table and would give his response when the same is served formally.  

“We have not yet received an official communication from the Ministry of Justice. Until we receive communication from the Ministry of Justice, we can now give our positions,” Akol said.