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Uganda Government, Opposition Spar Over Electoral Commission

   Douglas Mpuga 23 May 2010

   Ugandaâs  opposition  political  parties have demanded the overhaul of
   the  current  Electoral Commission (EC) saying they do not trust it to
   organize free, fair, and credible elections.
   The  opposition,  working  under  the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC), a
   loose  group  of  four  major  political  parties,  is  protesting the
   appointment of Electoral bodyâs commissioners. They want them replaced
   with what they describe as a new and non-partisan team.
   In  addition,  they  also  want  a  new  modality for constituting the
   electoral  commission  developed  by  all stakeholders before the 2011
   elections.  Under  the  Ugandan  constitution the EC commissioners are
   appointed by the president and vetted by parliament.
   Last  week, President Yoweri Museveni defended the EC during a meeting
   with  the  US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie
   Carson,   saying   the   electoral   body   was  independent  and  the
   commissioners  were  vetted  by  parliament,  including members of the
   opposition.
   Mr.  Carson  also met with the leaders of the opposition who described
   their  meeting  as âvery good.â âWe took the opportunity to impress on
   Ambassador  Carson  the  fact  that  the people of Uganda have finally
   drawn a line in the sand,â said Dr. Olara Otunnu, the president of one
   of the political parties, the Uganda Peopleâs Congress.
   âPeople  are  saying  that  they  deserve  exactly  the  same  kind of
   democracy  like  other countries.â He said the people need a democracy
   in  which elections are truly free and fair and in which the electoral
   body is truly independent.
   The  opposition  has  rejected  the  EC,  Otunnu  said, because âit is
   integrated with the ruling party and has become part and parcel of the
   rigging  machine of Mr. Museveni. The commission is part and parcel of
   the ruling party.â
   He  said  they  (opposition  leaders) made it clear to Mr. Carson that
   their position is not negotiable. âWe will not compromise on the issue
   of  genuinely  free  and  fair  elections  and  therefore  a genuinely
   independent electoral commission to preside over such elections.â
   The opposition, added Otunnu, will call on the people of Uganda not to
   cooperate with the current electoral commission.
   He said the opposition is however ready to begin discussions about new
   modalities of constituting a new electoral commission.
   Otunnu  said  the  opposition  parties  are  preparing  for  the  2011
   elections   and  will  continue  to  mobilize  the  people  but  added
   âelections have to be free and fair otherwise they are meaningless.â
   âWe  must  have an election commission that is independent, provides a
   level playing field for all parties, and isnât aligned with one of the
   parties,â he said.

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