Uganda electoral reforms delay, divided opposition could fuel voter apathy

As 2021 draws near, so does a cloud of uncertainty over the type of election Uganda will have due to an absence of electoral reforms, lack of funding for the road map and an opposition locked in supremacy wars.

The Electoral Commission says a road map it launched at the end of last year still lacks funds and saw it miss several deadlines it had set.

Also, the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Kahinda Otafiire told Parliament last week that the government is not ready to table the much needed electoral reforms despite a deadline set by the Supreme Court expiring.

All this has created confusion over the scheduled election.

“Previous elections have had a weak legal and administrative framework and the consequences have been violence, corruption, tech-based manipulation of elections, unbalanced media coverage of political parties and candidates, use of state resources to run individual political campaigns among others,” said Crispy Kaheru, co-ordinator of Citizens Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU).

“The 2021 elections may not be any different if we do not reinforce the existing legislative and administrative framework for conducting democratic elections,” he added.

Source: www.theeastafrican.co.ke