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Uganda's Election Chief Promises Better Results in 2011 Elections

   Badru  Kigundu  says his commission was able to register the projected
   3.5 million voters and more for the 2011 elections

   James Butty | Washington, D.C. 18 June 2010

   The  chairman  of  Ugandaâs  Electoral  Commission  â  Professor Badru
   Kigundu  -  said  heâs  confident  next yearâs general elections would
   yield   better   results  than  the  controversial  2006  presidential
   elections.

   His  comments  came  as  the  deadline  for  Ugandaâs  extended  voter
   registration came to a close June 18 .

   Professor  Kigundu  said  the  extension  was necessary because of the
   large number of voters who had not been registered.

   Map of Uganda

   âFirst  of all, we projected to register 3.5 million voters and by the
   planned closure, that number had been achieved. However, a few days to
   the closure we witnessed long lines of prospective voters which, if it
   had  closed,  would  have  been disenfranchised. So as a commission we
   took  a  decision  to extend the process to another four days, and the
   four days end on Friday, the 18^th,â he said.

   The  Inter-Party  Cooperation,  a  loose group of four major political
   parties  had  criticized  the  commission,  saying the problems in the
   voter  registration  were  an  indication the Electoral Commission had
   failed to do its job well.

   But  Professor Kigundu said perhaps an unexplainable voter interest in
   next  yearâs  elections  might  have been responsible for the surge in
   voter registration.

   âElection is not counting money. In our country it is not mandatory to
   register,  and as I have told you, in the past weâve made projections,
   but  this  is the first time that the projections we made have yielded
   100   percent.   Of   course  that  shows  that  statistics  are  just
   approximation.  The  reality  is a little higher than the projection,â
   Kigundu said.

   He  denied  opposition  claims  the commission failed to work with all
   political parties.

   âThe  opposition is a stakeholder just like the voters themselves, and
   we sensitized everyone who cares from the very beginning. So there was
   no special campaign just for opposition alone,â Kigundu said.

   The Ugandan Supreme Court, acting on the petition of opposition leader
   Kizza  Besgye  criticized  the  commission for its conduct of the 2006
   elections.

   President  Yoweri  Museveni  reappointed  Kigundu  as  chairman of the
   electoral commission.

   The  Inter-Party  Cooperation,  a  loose group of four major political
   parties  has  expressed  doubt  that  the  electoral commission, under
   Professor Kigundu, can conduct a free and fair election.

   Kigundu said his reappointment was done within the laws of Uganda.

   âFirst of all, our reappointment was done within the constitution, and
   once  it  was accomplished within the law, who am I to turn around and
   say  I need a special gratis from any section of society. Our approval
   went  through  their  norms.  The names were selected and submitted to
   parliament,  parliament passed them, and we are here in the provisions
   of the law,â Kigundu said.

   He  reiterated  his  commission would do a better job in conducting of
   the 2011 election.

   âRemember, election is not just a one entity undertaking; it is a mass
   stakeholders  undertaking.  So Iâm confident that that we shall better
   results than we had in 2006,â Kigundu said.

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