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{
    "id": 636599,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/636599/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 376,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ogolla",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1264,
        "legal_name": "Gideon Ochanda Ogolla",
        "slug": "gideon-ochanda-ogolla"
    },
    "content": "Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). It has been operating as an appendage of the IEBC for too long. It has been operating like an extended office of the IEBC. All the officials in the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties have been seconded from the IEBC. Time has come for this Office to be independent and be completely detached from the IEBC. It needs to operate in a manner that makes it easy for parties to comply. In this House, some of our colleagues have been wondering what has been happening in the ODM. Why does it hold elections? Some parties do not hold elections. When ODM was busy holding elections, they were wondering what was happening because all the other parties were quiet. Political parties have to do certain things and some of these include elections. This Office needs to be properly capacitated and organised. This Office also needs to enforce sobriety in political parties if at all we are to safeguard the gains we have had as a country. There is the issue of a political party being disbanded if it loses in two successive elections and fails to win a parliamentary seat. It has been brought up by Hon. Lelelit and I need to emphasise it. It is not just a matter of any election. It needs to be a national election where we are talking about national offices and not just wards. If a political party fails to get a candidate or win a seat in the National Assembly or the Senate in two successive general elections, that political party does not need to be in place. It is important. That is why I to support the whole issue of coalitions. Democracy is not dictated by the number of political parties in a country. For some time, Congo, during Mobutu Sese Seko’s rule, had over 70 political parties. However, the top 30 parties were Mobutu’s own political parties. It is important that we encourage these mergers so that we get to a situation where we have fewer, more organised parties and sober competition."
}