KAMPALA – The chairperson of the Inter Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD), Mr Asuman Basalirwa, has said the scientific 2021 election road map announced by the Electoral Commission (EC) is unconstitutional.
EC on Tuesday issued a new roadmap for the 2021 General Election, declaring that the campaigns will be conducted digitally but maintaining the Election Day in January/February.
But Mr Basalirwa, who is also the JEEMA party president, told a news conference at the Uganda Journalists Association’s (UJA) offices in Kawempe that there was a number of irregularities in the revised scientific road map which needed to be addressed by all stake holders.
He questioned the road map, warning of its legal consequences to the Commission if implemented in it’s current form.
At a separate press conference, DP president Norbert Mao said that there is nothing like scientific elections in the constitution of Uganda.
“Whatever we do, the essence of democracy is that all those who are qualified to contest should contest and they must be in a pposition to ensure that their messages reach the voters .That’s the test against which we shall put the scientific elections,” he said.
Mr Mao added that they have to engage with EC to unpack the scientific election.
“We have said we must not compromise the quality of our elections if the scientific election is not based on consensus by all the players, they will be no tournament because EC is like FIFA , FIFA cannot sit and make a decision without the input of the teams that are supposed to play the game,” he said.
Kampala Lord Mayor of Kampala Erias Lukwago said the proposal contravenes provisions of the constitution.
“Of course, constitutionally it is untenable because there are benchmarks within the constitution for us to have free and fair elections. If you curtail interface between the people and the candidates, you are abrogating the constitution. There must be an interface between the people and the candidates because one needs to know the kind of people they are to elect,” he said.
