Kampala — DONORS have warned that time is running out for the Electoral Commission to prepare credible elections. They said delayed funding and amendment of electoral laws meant the commission will do certain things at the last minute.

Late enactment of laws would also make it difficult for the people to interpret them.

"Your presentation is alarming. You are giving new dates when important actions need to be done. Poor or badly prepared elections create instability," EU head of delegation, Vincent De Visscher, commented.

"A strong, independent, well established Electoral Commission is important to give credibility to the election." De Visscher warned that if electoral reforms were not a done deal by February 2010, Uganda ran the risk of creating a crisis. "If goal-posts have to be moved beyond February 2010, we run the risk of entering a period of uncertainty."

The EU envoy urged the media to give all political parties a platform to articulate their programmes and highlight the countdown to the election date.

He also asked for a discussion of the detailed breakdown of the budget to see where donors could contribute. Swedish ambassador Anders Johnson called for a free and fair debate on the future of the country. He said the recent local council elections revealed weaknesses that have to be addressed ahead of 2011.

"The commission should be seen to act independently and neutral. That's important for the credibility of the elections," Johnson implored.

The ambassador said key procurements cannot be done due to a seeming delay to allocate funds by the Government. He added that voter education was important to let citizens know their rights and expectations.

"Time is running out and it's a very short period to address a number of issues," Johnson stated. He asked the commission to deal with the most urgent issues first.

The Sudan deputy head of mission, Abd el-Rahim el-Siddiq Mohammed, said the commission can share experiences with his country on how to deal with election violence. "Both countries are in transition to democratisation," he commented. Sudan has scheduled elections for April 2010.

Simon Osborn of the deepening democracy programme in Uganda said it was distressing that no funding had been found yet for the two most important activities, re-organisation of polling stations and voter register update. "That will compound problems on the elections day."

He promised sh5b to the road-map.