A new proposed constitutional amendment could see Uganda ban adult suffrage to restrict the right to elect the country’s president to MPs.
According to the idea of universal adult suffrage, also referred to as universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man, all adult citizens have a right to elect their leaders regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, political stance, or any other restriction.
For the case of Uganda, all citizens aged 18 and registered by the Electoral Commission (EC) as voters have a right to elect their leaders, including the president.
But if reports on proposed amendments to restrict the right to vote for the president to MPs only are anything to go by, then millions of Ugandans could be disenfranchised when it comes to presidential elections.
This proposal is part of many constitutional amendments government seeks to push through.
Available reports indicate that the Constitutional Review Commission is expected to commence consultations on the proposed amendments.
If pushed through, the amendment to ringfence the election of the president to the MPs could be the third most significant legislation in electoral democracy and presidential elections.
The other two most significant amendments were the removal of presidential term limits in 2005 and the erasing of the presidential age limit in 2017.
