Uganda: Advocacy group warns over vote rigging, intimidation

By Julius N. Uma

February 17, 2011 (JUBA) — The U.S. secretary of state, Hillary Clinton should personally ask Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni to publicly commit to “zero tolerance” of any vote rigging or intimidation of opposition parties and media during its elections, a U.S.-based entity said in a statement.

About 13.5 million voters, according to the country’s electoral commission, are eligible to participate in the February 18, national elections, where the incumbent Museveni faces seven presidential aspirants. Parliamentary and local government polls will also take place on the same day.

In its February 16 statement released ahead of the polls, Resolve, a Washington DC-based organization of advocates, activists, policy experts and civil society leaders further appealed to Clinton to ensure that Uganda’s incumbent leader publicly commits to respecting the results of the election and step down from office should the Electoral Commission announce another winner.

Over the past months, the statement says, preparations for the elections have reportedly been marred by restrictions on media freedoms and alleged harassment of opposition political parties by Ugandan government officials, security forces, and supporters of Museveni’s political party.

The widespread practices, it adds, raised lots of concerns that the elections will not be free or fair and could lead to civil unrest and destabilize the country.

“The stakes are high for these elections, and President Museveni must not tolerate actions that interfere with their credibility,” said Paul Ronan, Resolve’s director of advocacy.

He added, “Secretary Clinton and President Obama have demonstrated clear leadership in raising human rights issues with President Museveni in the past, most notably in condemning anti-homosexuality legislation and attacks on gay activists in Uganda. The issue of free and peaceful elections requires a similar level of priority.”

Two of the country’s previous elections, according to Resolve, were allegedly marred by violence against opposition supporters by state actors, intimidation of the media, and arbitrary arrests of opposition supporters.

High ranking officials believed to have orchestrated these forms of violence; the organization noted, were hardly prosecuted nor properly investigated.

The statement further criticizes pro-government forces used by the state to harass and intimidate opposition supporters, citing the Kiboko squad; an infamous group of stick wielding youth known for beating peaceful opposition demonstrators.

“The track record of the Ugandan government in past election campaigns is deeply troubling,” Ronan said.

He added, “The United States needs to make clear to Uganda it expects state authorities to behave responsibly and transparently during the actual voting and in the post-election period, and that it must hold those who don’t accountable to Ugandan law.”

Last year, a report released by Clinton, one of several statements mandated by 2009 Congressional legislation criticized the Ugandan government’s efforts to restrict local media freedoms and opposition parties’ freedom of assembly.

Citing recent events that unfolded in Tunisia, Egypt and Cote d’Ivoire, Ronan, urged the Clinton to ensure that free and fair elections in Uganda are a priority for the U.S. government.

(ST)