Following recent electoral violence that broken out in Uganda with security forces clashing with protestors, Pastor Alex Mutagubya of The City Church-Luzira is calling for a postponement of the 2021 presidential elections.
The hasty arrest – and later release – of two leading opposition candidates this week sparked sporadic mass protests in different parts of Uganda leaving at least 37 people dead and scores more with severe injuries.
“I don’t believe any elections are worth enduring such terror,” Pastor Mutagubya posted on Facebook Thursday.
The police, backed by the military, engaged in ruthless battles with protestors who allegedly burned tires, closed roads, and attacked police officers.
Four presidential candidates, including two former military generals; Henry Tumukunde and Mugisha Muntu, have since suspended their campaigns over the unrest.
“E.C. please suspend these elections. Suspend these elections. Suspend these elections. It is not worth the loss of lives,” Pastor Mutagubya said.
Pastor Mutagubya is not the first person to publicly address the need to delay elections.
Earlier in June, Norbert Mao, the DP president said if government insists that the coronavirus (COVID-19) is such a big threat to electoral campaigns, then parliament must start debating the possibility of pushing them to a further date.
“If the coronavirus pandemic is this serious, then postponing the election is a viable option because we are the ones who make the laws and we are the one who change the laws,” he said.
Campaigning through media
Gen Henry Tumukunde also earlier called for a postponement of the 2021 general election saying it’s impractical to have ‘meaningful’ elections ‘scientifically’ when “most of these radios are owned by politicians.”
In a public opinion survey done by Whitehead Communications, a public relations firm, between the 6th and 15th of July, it was found that most Ugandans (52%) do not agree with the idea of “scientific elections.”
Only 43% of Ugandans, from the survey, agreed that the Government should hold the election as scheduled.
5% of the respondents selected “other” and provided open-ended responses which included among others;
- “Don’t know or don’t care”
- “Hold a normal, non scientific election”
- “Monitor the Covid-19 situation and decide later if elections are safe”
- “Elections are illegitimate and therefore useless and a waste of time.”
Whitehead Communications interviewed 1,353 respondents from the main geographical parts of the country.
What the Electoral Commission Says.
The chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi, said at a press conference in June that the option of postponing the election “has not even occurred to us as a commission because it is not in our mandate.”
“For us we are guided by the Constitution Article 61 Clause 2 and unless that is changed by those who are mandated to, we have to comply,” he said.
Article 61(2) of the Constitution provides that the “Electoral Commission shall hold general presidential, parliamentary and local government council elections within the first thirty days of the last ninety days before the expiration of the term of the President.”
Regarding media campaigns, Mr Byabakama stated that the commission’s mandate is limited only to state (public) media which is required to give equal space to all presidential candidates.
