By Samuel Ssebuliba.
As a means of curbing the ever increasing number of election petitions that result from nullification of results, civil society organizations are pushing for criminalization of voter bribery and other forms of election malpractice.
Currently all elections petitions are civil in nature and as such they do not attract deterrent actions.
According to Henry Muguzi the executive director Alliance for Finance Monitoring, the proposed amendments to the electoral laws seek to compel police and the Director of Public Prosecution to take up election cases thus making them criminal in nature.
He saysthis is meant to among other things; bar the guilty party from contesting for an elective position for a period of ten years.