Government cautioned on 2011 polls

Sep 29, 2009

THE Government has been urged to put in place conditions for free and fair elections in 2011. The Executive was also told to build institutions that promote constitutionalism and democracy.

By Henry Mukasa

THE Government has been urged to put in place conditions for free and fair elections in 2011. The Executive was also told to build institutions that promote constitutionalism and democracy.

The director of good governance at the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Uganda Chapter, Joel Aliro Omara said this while presenting a paper on democracy and free and fair elections at the Serena Hotel in Kampala.

The debate was the first of a series that will be held across the country by the Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) and the British High Commission.

The Leader of Opposition, Ogenga Latigo, and the deputy Attorney General, Freddie Ruhindi, were panellists, while several MPs and political party leaders were discussants.

Omara, a lawyer, said a free and fair election has an impartial electoral commission, is free from intimidation, promotes freedom of association and has accurate counting and declaration of results.

“The idea of free and fair elections isn’t foreign. It is in our Constitution. The problem is lack of commitment,” Omara said. Omara, who is also a former commissioner of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, said a recent survey by the APRM showed the Ugandans had little confidence in the electoral process.

He said the Government needed to acknowledge that there was a problem with electoral laws. “If the Government doesn’t acknowledge these challenges, it will be difficult to find common ground and ensure free and fair elections in 2011,” he said.

The UJCC secretary general, Fr. Sylvester Arinaitwe, said religious leaders are watchmen who warn society of impending danger.The chairman of the council, Archbishop Yonah Lwanga of the Orthodox Church, said the recent riots were a reminder of how vulnerable the country was and called for dialogue.

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