CCEDU calls for open campaign time frame for political parties

By Francis Otucu

Days after the Electoral Commission claimed it is not aware of early campaigns, the Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU) has come out to push for an open time frame for campigns.

Speaking to this news site, Crispin Kaheru, the Coordinator- CCEDU said restricting political parties to four months campaign to polling day is a disadvantage, saying political campaigning is a daily business to political parties.

“Political campaigning is political parties’ day-to-day business. Political parties in other parts of the world actually campaign on an on-going basis to sell their political agenda, to influence public policy, to recruit members or even organize their grassroots structures. There is no substantive reason why campaigns of political parties and formations should be limited to just about four (4) months to an election/polling day,” he said qualifying his argument.

“In America for example, there is no set timeframes for political campaigns for parties or individuals who are interested in running for political office. In the United Kingdom, they have a long and short campaign season.

Therefore, rather than the EC expressing technical obliviousness about the on-going political campaign mood in the country; it should work to prompt the review of the legislative framework around campaigns to make it fairly permissible for all political parties to campaign through-out the electoral cycle.”

Kaheru advised that the Electoral Commission and such other institutions like the National Consultative Forum or even IPOD vigorously champion a review in Uganda’s political campaign laws to allow political parties to freely conduct campaigns throughout the electoral cycle.