Elections should be transparent, inclusive and credible

Jun 23, 2020

OPINION

In any country, Uganda not an exception, elections and other political processes are pivotal to the quality of governance and can either greatly advance or set back a country's long-term democratic development, as well as regional, and global foreign policy priorities.

Elections are a key benchmark in any nation-building project, allowing failed states and divided societies to reconstitute a source of commonly accepted authority. The most vital and fundamental principle defining credible elections is that they must reflect the free expression of the will of the people as clearly stated in the very first article of Uganda's 1995 constitution as amended that All power belongs to the people who shall exercise their sovereignty in accordance with this Constitution. 

To achieve this, elections should be transparent, inclusive and there must be equitable opportunities to compete in the elections. These broad principles are buttressed by several electoral process-related obligations, as well as a number of key rights and freedoms. The electoral cycle approach depicts elections as a continuous, integrated process made up of building blocks that interact with and influence each other, rather than as a series of isolated events. 

Looking at the recently released revised electoral roadmap of 2021 general elections, the first of its kind since with shortened electoral campaign duration and prohibited mass rallies. The electoral commission has preferable made up of its mind on the so-called scientific elections that involve the use of digital campaigns that involve the aspirants to seek mandate from the citizens of Uganda on radios, televisions, and other social media platforms. 

This is happening in a Uganda where electricity access has reached nearly 60% of the population in urban areas, while in rural areas is still limited to 18%, relating this to technology that depends on electricity to operate means that 40% from urban areas and 82 % from rural areas living in darkness with no TV's and smart gadgets will be isolated from the electoral process. A reliable study indicates that very few own radios and most of the current radios are powered electricity. Therefore, the energy accessibility in the country alone can not fever this kind of scientific general election.

The Electoral Commission spokesperson Jotham Taremwa speaking recently emphasized that the revised electoral roadmap was made with clear consideration of the law and noted article 62 that provides for the independence of the Electoral Commission and justified the act of running away from consultations before the roadmap was reached. He quietly forgot the law that provides for scientific general election which ideally does not exist. 

The writer is a research associate with Africa Institute for Energy Governance

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