Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama addresses journalists in Kampala on November 5, 2020. PHOTO/ KELVIN ATUHAIRE
The Electoral Commission (EC) yesterday issued stringent guidelines for the 2021 General Election campaigns and warned that any candidate who will give any form of a bribe will be disqualified and prosecuted.
Justice
Simon Byabakama, the EC chairman, said achieving a free and fair
election is dependent on all actors and asked the 11 presidential
candidates to observe the guidelines.
The candidates met with the EC
officials yesterday to harmonise their campaign schedule but they were
not conclusive. They will meet again on Saturday to conclude the
schedule.
All the political contestants begin campaigns across the country on Monday.
The
candidates have been advised to mainly conduct virtual campaigns to
avoid crowds which are likely to facilitate spread of coronavirus.
Justice
Byabakama warned against candidates bribing voters, saying it denies
capable people the opportunities to lead the country.
“These are things we are trying to work out. Time is not there. It is not mandatory that they should all start campaigning on Monday. If we want to clean up our electoral process to make democracy grow in a positive, admirable fashion that attracts people with leadership credentials, we need to get rid of bribery,” Justice Byabakama told Daily Monitor in a separate interview.
“People who can serve at elective leadership levels
are discouraged because they don’t have bags of money. This kind of
commercialised politics is discouraging people who have leadership
credentials from coming up to serve.
Everybody is responsible to see
a free and fair election. I don’t want to see violence. I don’t want to
see anyone putting the country into tension, creating an atmosphere of
uncertainty and fear because of the rhetoric. We should all follow the
rules,” he added.
Justice Byabakama said candidates can use their
agents to campaign for them in areas they will not be able to reach. The
candidates have 60 days to traverse the country of 146 districts.
Candidates’ complaints
During
their meeting with EC officials yesterday, presidential candidates said
there has not been a fair ground and demanded that government
facilitates their movement with vehicles and feed the security officers.
“We
pay taxes. I think the EC is there but in picture. They have sent them
but tied their lips, arms and legs. They had no answers to what we asked
them. They kept saying they will first consult. Is EC going to be
independent? We confirmed in the meeting that they don’t have control on
what they are doing but someone is directing them. They are saying
orders are coming from above. Who is failing them to do their work?” Ms
Nancy Linda Kalembe, an independent presidential candidate, said.
She said some candidates warned of walking while on the campaign trail since the electoral body failed to give them vehicles.
However
Justice Byabakama insisted that EC acted within the law after
Parliament scrapped Shs50m facilitation to each presidential candidate
in addition to a car.
He said each security officer attached to the
presidential candidates is given a per diem of between Shs70,000 and
Shs110,000 depending on one’s rank.
The candidates have only been given lead cars with security personnel.
EC guidelines
•Public rallies and meetings banned
•Ensure Covid-19 measures are adhered to at all meeting venues
•Encourage outdoor meetings with two metre social distance apart from each participants
•Returning officers to inspect venues
•All candidates to harmonise their campaign timetable
•Agents allowed to campaign on behalf of their candidates
•Campaigns to be held between 7am to 6pm
•All candidates given equal time on state-owned media
•Joint candidates’ campaign meetings for those who consent are allowed
•Each candidate is entitled to a lead vehicle with police personnel
•No use of defamatory language during campaigns
•No candidate should fundraise or give donations. They risk imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.
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