Election observers under a coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CCEDU) have reported that the recently concluded elections for Special Interest Groups (SIGs), fell short of the required standard.
CCEDU says, violence, misinformation, and low participation of both voters and political parties as witnessed in the recently concluded Youth and PWDs elections undermined the core principles of a democratic process.
CCEDU coordinator Ms Charity Ahimbisibwe Kaleebo says, all 10,029 observers who were deployed across the country reported that information for PWD elections was poorly disseminated with adverts running largely on radio and yet all the deaf could not access this information.
According to a statement released on Monday, due to lack of information, voters mistook the national PWD elections with the NRM primaries and some of the voters even claimed they registered in the NRM primaries elections but also, their names were not on the EC registers.
Observers reported that registered voters did not find their names on the voters’ register and they were directed to try and find their names at other polling stations.
Ms Charity noted with concern the reports that members of the opposition were denied a chance to participate in the village youth elections in Kiboga, Namisindwa and Luweero which she said requires the Electoral Commission to sensitize their officials that national elections are open to people of all political dispensation because Uganda subscribes to a multi-party democracy.
She said, misinformation of the voters in a multi-party dispensation amounts to excluding them from a process that the Constitution gives them a right to participate in, and in such instances the falls short of internationally accepted standards of conducting elections.
Ms Charity stated that much as the electoral procedures were generally followed, Standard Operating procedures (SOPs) as laid out in the EC guidelines were not always followed yet COVID-19 cases have continued to rise. During polls at the village youth elections, young majority of people were pushing themselves in queues and they were not wearing masks.
Despite the amendment of the Persons With Disabilities (PWD) ACT 2006 to include people with albinism and the little persons, observers reported that these groups and the deaf and blind were segregated by their physically disabled colleagues and most of the posts were taken by the physically disabled.
CCEDU however applauds the electoral commission for organizing a largely peaceful process with a few lapses at polling stations observed.
CCEDU recommends that efforts geared to increase voter education in the communities be seriously considered by the Electoral Commission ahead of the Parish and other elections.
CSO’s also appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) to employ village mega phones to pass on the much needed voter information ahead of the Special Interest Group Elections at Parish Level.
