ARUA CITY RESIDENTS CALL FOR ELECTORAL REFORMS AFTER LOCAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Voters of Oyooze Cell, Pangisha Ward in Arua Central Division, in line while electing their LC 1 Chairperson (All Photos by Onzoma Albert)

By Onzoma Albert

Arua City

The residents of Arua City are calling for reforms in the current lining-up method used during local council elections, following disruptions and irregularities observed in recent elections.

These issues included disputes over the voters’ register, presence of ineligible voters, and unrest at some polling stations, which led to security intervention, voting delays and cancellation of election in certain areas.

The disruptions sparked public concern and increased demand for changes to make the electoral process more orderly and transparent.

Hon Godfrey Anguyo, former city councilor for Ayivu North, noted that the heightened interest in local elections has made them more competitive, highlighting the need for reforms to improve the election procedures.

“I am happy that people are getting to understand the importance of local council 1 chairpersons, however what I noted that did not go well is the system of voting by lining this is because some people may come with the interest of voting for a candidate but suddenly change their mind based on the length of a line of the candidates, my appeal is that government needs to re-consider and review the process of voting for local council 1 chairpersons,” he suggested.

Residents of Azia Cell in celebrating the victory of their new LC 1 Chairperson elect.

Among the proposed reforms is the shift from the traditional lining-up system to secret ballots, an idea strongly supported by Emmanuel Adriko, a resident of Azia Cell in Pangisha Ward. Adriko emphasized that secret ballots would allow voters to make their choices freely, without fear or undue influence, thus promoting genuine voting.

“There was fear among the voters because some of the people who contested in this positions are from the same area, family and others are relatives who are well known in their communities, so some people think if the go and line behind some candidates others may see it bad, they were thinking that if it was secret ballot it was going be a little bit easy for them to vote which was the issue I observed during the elections” he said.

Similarly, Mustafa Maliamungu, a candidate from the ruling NRM party who lost in the elections, opposed the mandatory use of national identity cards during voting. He argued that requiring IDs could exclude legitimate voters who might forget their cards, potentially disenfranchising eligible voters.

“Some of the voters had registered during the registration process but some of them misplaced and left their national identity cards at their work places but they were told to produce their national identity cards before receiving the coupon for voting, some of the voters got the coupons but others did not get them preventing them from participating in the voting process yet their names were already in the voters register” he said.

The public opinion leans towards adopting secret ballot systems to ensure more free, fair, and transparent electoral outcomes.

They believe that such a change would enable voters to express their preferences without external pressures or fears, thereby strengthening confidence in the electoral process.

Residents and stakeholders in Arua City are advocating for reforms that address current challenges and foster a more credible and inclusive electoral environment.