A delegation of European Union envoys yesterday visited the Forum for Democratic Change offices, where they held talks with the party’s top leadership ahead of the forthcoming 2021 general election.
The delegation led by European Union head of delegation in Uganda Ambassador Attilio Pacifici was welcomed by the party leaders led by party president Patrick Amuriat Oboi. Other party officials included Geoffrey Ekanya (party treasurer), Warid Lubega (party youth leader), John Kikonyogo (deputy publicist) and the party’s electoral commission boss, Toterebuka Bamwenda.
The other envoys included France’s Ambassador to Uganda, Jules-Armand Aniambossou; Joris van Bommel, the Netherlands’ charge d’affaires; Italian ambassador Massimiliano Mazzanti and Daniel Arhem, Sweden’s charge d’affaires.
Mr Kikonyogo told journalists that they told the EU team that the army involvement in national elections, raising might be a recipe for violence.
“We are worried that LDUs are going to be involved in the forthcoming elections and we are saying let police be left to man the elections because it is its mandate. Police should also report to the Electoral Commission [EC) not the IGP [Inspector General of Police],” Mr Kikonyongo said.
He also said they discussed the EC requirement that aspirants to ask permission from police before conducting any political meeting. Mr Kikonyongo said the party requested that this be dropped and the mandate left to EC.
He said the EU agreed to advise the country on how they should hold a free and a fair election.
This is not the first time the EU is meeting aspirants slated to participate in the forthcoming elections.
The delegation last week met the National Unity Platform party headed by Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, and discussed a number of issues.
