Kampala: The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party is opposed the demand to declare emergency in the country which would result in the postponement of the 2021 general election. A state of emergency is declared to suspend normal constitutional procedures to regain control. It is usually declared during national disasters, war and civil unrest, a pandemic or epidemic among other risks. Ever since the Electoral Commission released a revised roadmap, banning the mass rallies and campaigns, opposition groups and other stakeholders have cried foul, saying the proposed digital campaigns are going to disenfranchise a lot of people who have no access to electricity, radio, social media or TV.
Several political actors in the country have called for the postponement of next year's elections due to the coronavirus pandemic. But NRM officials led by the secretary-general Justine Kasule Lumumba and NRM’s legal director, Oscar Kihika while appearing before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee, said President Yoweri Museveni isn’t satisfied that the current Covid -19 circumstances require a declaration of state of emergency in the country.
“Clearly as things stand, the president is not satisfied. This Article expressly provides that the president must be satisfied before he declare a state of emergency. Now, obviously the declaration of a state of emergency is not a simple matter because most of the arguments that we have heard is that there should be a state of emergency and what follows thereafter is a postponement of the election. That decision is a very serious one because you are denying the power of people in selecting their leaders. I believe that His Excellency doesn’t take this matter very lightly,” Kihika said.
According to Kihika the president is convinced that elections with restrictions can be held under current circumstances and hence no need to declare a state of emergency. The lawyer further explained that declaration of a state of emergency brings in serious consequences relating to civil liberties and can lead to abuse of power. "The last time the government declared a state of emergency was in 1966, we all know what happened thereafter. If emergency is declared, there are serious consequences which relate to the abrogations of civil liberties and the powers that follow through can very much lead to abuse of those powers. As a result, it is very easy as happened in 1966 to lose the support of the population." said Kihika.
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