2021 election ballot papers arrive

The first batch of the ballot papers for next year's general election that are being printed abroad have arrived, the Electoral Commission has announced.

The first consignment of ballot papers and declaration of results forms was on Wednesday evening received at Entebbe Airport by the Electoral Commission chairman, Justice Simon Byabakama.

“We have witnessed the delivery of the first batch of elections materials, namely, ballot papers and Declaration of Results Forms for Elections of District Woman Representative to Parliament. This first delivery has been made by Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing Company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This firm won the contract for Lot 2 of the ballot papers for the general elections,”Byabakama said.

He noted that the consignment comprised 116 pallets with ballot papers for seven regions including Kampala, South West, Central South, Elgon, Karamoja, Northern and West Nile, adding that materials for the remaining five regions are expected to arrive any time soon.

“The cost for the delivered election materials is shs2.56bn out of the total consignment cost of shs.9.7 billion. At this point, I wish to acknowledge the fact that Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing Company has delivered ahead of schedule. We are indeed impressed by the timely production and delivery of the election materials,”Byabakama noted.

According to the Electoral Commission chairman, the 116 pallets delivered by Emirates Airlines on Wednesday weigh a total of 40 tons.

Byabakama noted that the EC technical team has already commenced with processes to clear the cargo and deliver it to their stores for safe storage ahead of the packing into the polling kit.

“The delivery has been observed by agents of political parties and organisations as well as the media. In addition to the above, the Commission has received official confirmation of completion of printing of Ballot Papers and Declaration of Results Forms for Presidential Election 2021. The printer, United Printing and Publishing of Abu Dhabi has confirmed the delivery of these materials on Thursday 10th December 2020 at 13:15 hours, on Emirates flight 9865.”

According to Byabakama, the deliveries are a positive indicator of the progress the Electoral Commission has made in the organization of the forthcoming 2021 general election, adding that it is a sign of the electoral body's  readiness to deliver the polls as scheduled.