The Electoral Commission Chairperson, Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama (pictured) has told off Ugandans protesting the decision not to conduct mass rallies in 2020/21 elections that the Commission didn’t manufacture the deadly Coronavirus.
EC recently released the revised roadmap ahead of 2021 elections, noting that campaigns will be conducted on TVs, radios and electronically.
Interacting with online journalists on Thursday at EC headquarters in Kampala, Byabakama revealed that they would have loved to have ordinary campaign rallies, but they were advised by scientists to ban public campaigns as these would lay fertile ground for the spread of the deadly virus.
“An election doesn’t rotate around campaigns. We aren’t trying to deny you visible support but protecting our people. Can’t people start to think that in the circumstances, what would the Commission have done? Should we say let us have campaigns whether people die? is that what we are propagating? Are we the ones who brought Coronovirus?” Byabakama said.
He added: “The ordinary campaigns have potential of spreading Coronovirus. Uganda hasn’t acquired capacity to conduct electronic voting and it isn’t provided for in our laws. I told Ministry of Health that on voting, that one there is nothing you can do.”
Last week, the Electoral Commission announced a revised roadmap for the next general elections barring all candidates from holding public rallies.
However, the decision to have ‘hybrid elections’ was met with protests from a sections of Ugandans especially politicians, who questioned the legal grounds the Commission based on to reach the decision while others cried foul over EC failing to consult them over the matter.
