The Electoral Commission has announced January 14th, 2021 as the date Ugandans will elect their Members of Parliament (MPs).
The electoral body gazetted November 9th 2020, to January 12th 2021, as the campaign period for all nominated MP candidates following conclusion of the nomination exercise.
Addressing the media on Thursday, EC chairperson Simon Byabakama said all campaigns should follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to guard against the spread of Covid-19.
Byabakama said that campaigns shall be conducted between 7am to 6pm and venue owners must ensure that the campaign/meeting venues are provided with hand washing facilities and sanitizers, and that supporters attending the campaigns/meetings wear face masks at all time, while accessing and exiting the meeting venue.
Candidates may also use the community-based Public Address Systems (kizindaalo) between 7am to 9am and 4pm to 6pm.
Candidates have been advised to identify suitable venues within their constituencies and notify the respective Returning Officers, who will conduct an inspection together with the Police and the District COVID-19 Taskforce to ensure the venue will enable observance of the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health.
They will, however, be allowed to organise/hold campaign meetings, in a regulated manner, preferably outdoors, with limited attendance of a maximum of seventy (70) persons, to enable the observance of the 2-meters social distancing rule for the persons attending the meeting.
Candidates who use posters are warned against putting them on road traffic signs. Similarly,those who use banners are strongly warned against hanging them on electricity power lines, or in a manner that endangers vehicular traffic and pedestrian movement. Any campaign materials that are wrongly placed will be removed by the relevant Council authorities and Police.
Candidates and their agents have been advised to use non-contact means of communication to interact with the electorate. These include fliers, leaflets, brochures, posters, billboards and banners; radio and television announcements and talk shows; short messaging services (SMS), voice messaging, and new digital media platforms and websites.
In a similar development, EC appointed Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd November 2020 as the dates for nomination of candidates for Presidential Elections, 2021.
The nomination exercise will be conducted at Kyambogo University Sports Grounds, starting at 9am and ending at 5pm on each of the appointed dates.
