The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has revealed that one of the factors that have hindered the deepening of democracy within Uganda is the commercialization of politics.
The revelation was made by the line Minister Nobert Mao while presenting the performance report for his ministry during the Manifesto week at the office of the Prime Minister on Friday. Mao noted that his ministry was tasked to improve access to Justice and ensure continuous consolidation and deepening of democracy across Uganda however it has been hard because of politics mixed with money.
He said that although there were successful By-Elections following the conclusion of the 2020/2021 Presidential and General Parliamentary and Local Government Council elections, the issue of money in political campaigns has affected greatly the natural flow of democracy right from small units of leadership up to the executive arm.
Mao added that apart from the commercialization of politics, the late Enactment/Amendment of Electoral Laws has also affected the flow of free and fair elections since the Supreme Court already called for amendments to the current electoral laws.
“We have also a challenge of Negative Public Perception by some stakeholders due to misinformation about the Electoral Commission. Election-Related Violence. Under funding of the EC Budget. There is also an increasing “do or die” stance of candidates and their supporters which has also contributed to the charged electoral environment in many areas. And lastly, the issue of late resolution of court cases by the courts is also a factor that is really affecting the clear flow of democracy in this country,” he said.
He however suggested it’s not too late if the government embarks on demarcation of Parliamentary Constituencies and Local Government Electoral Areas as soon as possible.
In reference to the above, Minister Mao also urged for quick re-organization of Polling Stations, Construction of headquarters, regional, and district offices and storage facilities.
“Government should facilitate Special Interest Groups (Workers, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), Youth and Older Persons) committees and other traditionally marginalized groups to participate in the electoral processes; Capacity building/training of EC staff, Media, Judiciary, Police, Civil servants, CSOs and another stakeholder on electoral operations, human rights-based approaches, gender inclusivity, voter integrity, fair reporting on elections, law and order maintenance in electoral processes, among others,” he said.
He also advocated for early enactment of enabling laws and adherence to the deadline for the creation of administrative units to avoid the unnecessary creation of districts.
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