Uganda's eighth parliament officially dissolved; fate of legislation still unclear

Apparently without a motion to continue the 23 bills unfinished, the Eighth Parliament will dissolve at midnight.

A proclamation to mark the official end and dissolution of the Eighth Parliament of Uganda has been issued by Parliament. The Eighth Parliament will stand officially dissolved at midnight Wednesday.The Speaker of the Eighth Parliament Rt. Hon. Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi issued the proclamation before being sworn in as a member of the ninth Parliament.
Meanwhile, the swearing in of new members of the Uganda Parliament has closed Wednesday with a total of 374 members taking oath during the last three days.
Article 81 of the Constitution requires every person elected to parliament to take and subscribe to the oath of allegiance and the oath of Member of Parliament before assuming office. No person shall sit or vote in Parliament before taking and subscribing the oaths. 
MPs will convene at Parliament on Thursday for the first sitting where they will elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament from amongst themselves. The fisrt sitting of Parliament will be presided over by the Chief Justice who will oversee the election of the Speaker of Parliament.

Tomorrow begins the Ninth Parliament and it remains to be seen whether or not the new Speaker will allow committees to pick up work on bills unfinished from the last session. For months, observers assumed that the Anti-Homosexuality Bill would die if not passed by May 18. However, recent statements from Parliament spokespersons and from bill author David Bahati have led to uncertainty about the procedures. On the AHB, if the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee report becomes the basis for action on the floor, the bill remains a serious threat to the civil rights of all Ugandans, and in particular those who express any same-sex intimacy.

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