The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Nine internal election observers have so far meant the requirements to monitor the 2021 general election, Uganda Radio Network has learnt.
These include; Intellectual Aid Network Uganda, Uganda National NGO Forum, Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU) and Alliance for Finance Monitoring (ACFIM). The others are Northern Uganda Transparency and Accountability Forum (NUTAFO), African Electoral Alliance, Future Africa Mission, Women’s Democracy Network-Uganda Chapter (WDN-U) and African Youth Development Link (AYDL.
The Deputy Electoral Commission Chairperson, Hajjat Aisha Lubega says that the election observer accreditation committee received several applications from different groups seeking to observe the election but only nine met the qualifications set by the Commission.
“There is quite a number pending approval. They have not met the qualifications yet, for example, they had not attached photographs of the people, had not attached their certificates and others,” said Hajjat Lubega. She, however, said that they hope to complete the accreditation process in the next two weeks.
On Friday, the EC Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama noted that they had started receiving applications from mainly internal election observers interested in monitoring campaigns, preparations for the election, polling, vote counting, results processes, and the overall electoral environment.
He was responding to a decision by the European Union (EU) in Uganda not to deploy election observers in the 2021 polls due to challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The European Union Election Observer Mission has been one of the biggest international election monitors in Uganda over the years. More than 120 election observers were deployed in the 2016 general election.
It is unclear whether other observers like the Commonwealth Observer Team, the African Union, and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) will participate in the process given that the country’s borders are still closed with restrictions on movement. Byabakama announced the resumption of the electoral activities on Tuesday and announced a revised roadmap for 2021 general elections.
The Parliamentary and Presidential election is scheduled for February 8, 2021. Candidates are expected to campaign using digital platforms because of the Covid19 pandemic. Political Party and Organisations have embarked on the identification of candidates for Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and Committees Elections.
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URN
The Chairperson
Electoral Commission
I have read of a claim that individuals whose detail was collected during COVID-19 lockdown have already been captured as having voted for some candidate
I am an adult of sound mind and recall that people who registered us claimed Government wanted to establish how COVID-19 lock down had affected us. I hoped they would pick me up for emergence treatment
Subsequently, they never came back neither with their food rations nor the masks
There is no way an individual who started voting in 1980 can forfeit their rights
Our details were captured by false pretense by a one Kantinti, using a big data capture tool, possibly on behalf of the chairperson LC 1, (Kawempe Division)
I humbly request to have my name retained on the voters register
No one makes decisions on my behalf
We the law abiding citizens expect reciprocal treatment