KAMPALA – Presidential hopeful, Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde, has accused the Electoral Commission (EC) of rushing to hold the 2021 elections amid the persistent Covid-19 pandemic.
Last week, the Electoral Commission issued a revised roadmap to 2021 polls, banning mass campaigns to limit the spread of Coronavirus.
However, addressing journalists in Kampala on Wednesday, Gen Tumukunde wondered why the EC was in a hurry to hold an election that he said is against the Constitution.
“Everyone seeing that this is a pandemic. If it was not so, you would not have cared to shift the conduct of the election. If the situation is not normal, something else needs to be done. The pandemic is the reason we cannot carry out fully-fledged elections. What are we now rushing for,” he said.
Gen Tumukunde argued that even conducting a scientific law creates more problems than it solves.
“Essentially, you can’t change the method of campaigning without changing the law. This is not a normal situation. If it was one, there would not be a need to conduct campaigns in such a manner. If it is an abnormal situation, the law says something about it,” he said.
“If there is social distancing and other measures to prevent the spread of the virus, how will you deliver voting materials effectively? If in normal circumstances we find difficulties in delivering materials in time, how about in such a time,” he added.
Gen Tumukunde said the scientific election will have a big impact on the credibility of the electoral body.
“This government is here because there was a mismanaged election. We don’t want a repeat of a mismanaged election. Let the Electoral Commission find importance in legitimacy and credibility of the election,” he said.
