The Inter-Religious Council of Uganda has criticized what it describes as a worrying decline in democratic standards. The council has raised alarm over the growing number of reports involving the arbitrary arrest of opposition supporters, disruption of campaign activities for some presidential candidates, and incidents of partisan violence. It also expressed concern over what it […]
The Inter-Religious Council of Uganda has criticized what it describes as a worrying decline in democratic standards.
The council has raised alarm over the growing number of reports involving the arbitrary arrest of opposition supporters, disruption of campaign activities for some presidential candidates, and incidents of partisan violence. It also expressed concern over what it termed as limited intervention by the Electoral Commission in addressing these challenges and safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process.
IRCU Chairperson Monsignor Charles Kasibante said in a statement warned that these developments point to a deeper democratic recession in which accountability institutions risk being reduced to symbolic entities rather than effective guardians of democracy.
Kasibante reminded stakeholders that elections go beyond rallies and voting, calling for credibility of the process that they say depends on the protection of fundamental freedoms and the strength of democratic institutions.
The council has called on relevant authorities to take urgent corrective action, cautioning that failure to address these issues could lead to a full-blown crisis that may prove difficult to reverse once ballots are cast.
