The head of the European Union Election Observation Mission to Uganda, Mr Eduard Kukan, yesterday expressed disappointment with the Electoral Commission for snubbing a meeting to discuss the conduct of just concluded polls.
Speaking yesterday at the presentation of the Mission’s final report on the disputed February 18 polls, Mr Kukan said they still consider “Uganda as a serious partner.”
“We have been very disappointed by the Electoral Commission. We asked for audience with them, and they told us they were not available,” Mr Kukan told Daily Monitor on the sidelines of the function, also attended by envoys from the EU Delegation and US Ambassador Deborah Malac.
“But we insisted to meet even [junior] deputy commissioners to share with them our findings in good faith. Instead, they gave us an appointment next week well aware our flight back is tonight,” he said.
Electoral Commission spokesperson Jotham Taremwa, however, denied the claim, saying the EU team requested for a meeting and EC agreed to the request.
“We had scheduled to meet with them on April 26 and we were told they will have travelled then,” Mr Taremwa noted.
The 42-page report is a detailed account of the preliminary findings of the Mission issued on the eve of the elections results announcement on February 20.
The report indicates that the February 2016 polls took place in a challenging political environment and offers several recommendations to better subsequent polls.
“EC lacked independence and transparency whereupon the elections fell short of international standards … state actors were instrumental in creating an intimidating atmosphere for both voters and candidates, and police used excessive force against the Opposition, media and the general public, justifying it as a “preventive measure”.
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