Brussels, 22/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - At a press conference in Kampala on Saturday 20 February, the members of the EU election observation mission (EOM) said that although the people of Uganda went to the polls in large numbers in the presidential election of 18 February, this election was marred by numerous irregularities.
The EOM's preliminary assessment highlights shortcomings in the election process, notably in the areas of neutrality, transparency and the effectiveness of the election administration. “The Ugandan Communications Commission blocked access to social media on election day, which constitutes a severe restriction on citizens' communication. Moreover, the taking into custody of opposition leader Mr Kizza Besigye several times is contrary to basic democratic principles”, the spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said in a statement. Mogherini's spokesperson added: “The Ugandan authorities should allow the opposition to play its legitimate role, and fundamental freedoms need to be respected”.
Jo Leinen MEP (S&D, Germany), who led this delegation within the EOM (see EUROPE 11492), said the European Parliament delegation fully supported these preliminary conclusions.
“From start to finish of Election Day, the European Parliament delegation observed a large number of polling stations in Kampala and in the Jinja and Masaka districts - both in urban and rural areas. Members of the delegation were extremely impressed by the strong engagement of voters - young and old - in the campaign (…) Nevertheless we, as members of the European Parliament delegation, also witnessed significant delays in opening the polling stations, which resulted in large numbers of people waiting for many hours. This situation was particularly pronounced in Kampala, where organisation of polling stations was often inadequate and the long queues extended well past the official closing time”, Leinen stated.
The EU calls on all parties for restraint and to resolve any possible contesting of the results through legal channels. Youweri Museveni, who has been in power for 30 years and was standing for a fifth term of office, won the election with 60.75% of the votes. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)