The US Mission in Uganda has urged Uganda’s Parliament to live up to international standards and reject moves to ban phones and cameras in polling stations.
This message is contained in a tweet on the missions twitter handle on Wednesday saying Ugandans deserve a free and fair electoral process.
“We encourage Parliament to uphold international best practices & allow use of cameras & phones in polling stations on election day. The proposed ban by EC would prevent media from providing effective election coverage. Ugandans deserve free, fair & transparent electoral process,” the message reads.
Last week, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Justice Simon Byabakama, proposed banning of phones and cameras inside polling stations during voting.
The Commissioner, who was appearing before the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs on Tuesday, 10 September 2019, said that the proposed amendment should be included in the Presidential Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2019, being considered by the committee.
“During voting, no person shall use a camera of any kind or any recording device inside the polling station. We are looking at protecting the privacy of the voters who wish to vote in secrecy,” he said.
