Ugandan lecturers drawn from a section of public and private universities have called for the creation of a uniform manner in which political party primaries should be conducted.
The lecturers constituted a local elections observatory, and today, Thursday, 11 February 2021 presented their recommendations to Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, under the leadership of Dr Ochana Francis.
“If we are supposed to get flagbearers, let all parties use the same system to pick flagbearers,” he said.
Dr Ochana said most of the problems experienced in the elections stemmed from poorly conducted primaries of major political parties.
Kadaga hailed the observers, saying it is crucial that politicians step aside and allow other politically non-interested groups to review the electoral process.
“It is always important for the people who are not part of the elections to observe and give us an idea about how they have viewed the process,” she said.
The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Prof Ephraim Kamuntu hailed the local observers saying this “strengthens our local system.”
Kamuntu urged political groups to pursue legal means to resolve contestations, saying there is no room for resorting to violence.
The recently concluded 2021 elections saw European Union and American observers pulling out of the observatory mission, leaving domestic and regional observers to conduct the roles.
Also present was the Chairperson of the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Hon Jacob Oboth Marksons.