President Ndayizeye heads EAC election observation team in Uganda.

By; Our reporter

13^th January 2021

Former Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye who is going to Head the East African Mission to oversee Uganda’s election process has called for transparency and peace in the forthcoming polls.

Ndayizeye while flagging off the team of 74 EAC Mission Observers drawn from the East African Legislative Assembly, East African Court of Justice, EAC Secretariat and the Electoral Management bodies, Ministries of EAC Affairs and Human Rights Commissions of the EAC Partner States, cautions that whatever happens in Uganda impacts the entire East African Region.

The team of observers will be stationed in the districts of Kampala, Masaka, Gulu, Arua, Mubende, Masindi, Soroti, Mbale, Mbarara, Kasese and Moroto for observance of the national elections.

Ndayizeye, says the mission aims at contributing to strengthening political accountability amongst political actors and the Government of Uganda in addition to providing an opportunity for the other EAC Partner States to share experiences on election management with a view to learning from each other and sharing best practices.

“EAC believes that regional observation can play a critically important supportive role that would enhance the credibility of the elections, reinforce the work of domestic observer groups and increase public confidence in the entire electoral process,” he added.

Ndayizeye says that in its assessment of the electoral process, the mission would be guided by the democratic principles and values outlined in the African Charter for Democracy, Elections and Governance, and the EAC Principles for Election Observation and Evaluation.

As part of its mandate, the EAC mission is expected to assess the legitimacy of the electoral processes and outcome in accordance with internationally accepted standards, and make recommendations for strengthening of electoral processes for the benefit of not only the Republic of Uganda but for the EAC region as a whole.