Monitors must investigate threats to free elections in Uganda
Feb 19, 2006 (KAMPALA) — International and domestic observers monitoring Uganda’s presidential and parliamentary elections should investigate serious government violations that threaten free and fair elections, Human Rights Watch said today.
On February 23, Uganda will hold its first multi-party elections in two decades, electing a president and members of parliament. Elections for local councils will take place on February 28, March 6, and March 9. Hundreds of local monitors, in addition to monitoring teams from the European Union, the Commonwealth and other governments, have begun to deploy across the country for Thursday’s poll.
“In essence these are multi-party elections in a one-party state,” said Jemera Rone, East Africa coordinator for Human Rights Watch. “We urge all the election observers to take that into account and to address allegations of abuse.”
In an open letter sent on Friday to domestic and international election monitors, Human Rights Watch highlighted the main problems in the pre-election period that tilt the playing field in favor of the ruling party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
The letter highlighted the continued existence of single-party state structures of Uganda’s “Movement” system; intimidation and violence by security agents against opposition supporters; and the selective use of prosecutions to hinder and intimidate opposition leaders. In nine of Uganda’s 69 districts, Human Rights Watch has documented 58 cases of intimidation and violence by security agents or NRM members against individuals from the opposition.
The letter calls on international observers to coordinate with Ugandan groups monitoring the elections, such as the Foundation for Human Rights Initiatives (FHRI) and Democracy Monitoring Group (DEM Group), to get a clear picture of violations at the local level.
– The letter highlights areas of concern on election day, including:
The conduct of non-police security forces at polling stations, such as Local Defence Units and the Arrow Boys and other militias. Commanded by an NRM candidate, the Arrow Boys have been accused of committing human rights violations.
Intimidation and violence by party activists.
The objectivity of presiding officers at polling stations to decide if people can vote when they do not have a card or when the accuracy of the register is in dispute.
The integrity of vote counting and tallying at all levels.
The open letter to the election observers is based on a February 13 Human Rights Watch briefing paper on the elections, “In Hope and Fear: Uganda’s Presidential and Parliamentary Polls,” available at: http://hrw.org/backgrounder/africa/uganda0206/.
The open letter is available at: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/02/17/uganda12689.htm.
(HRW/ST)