A report says the Ugandan government turned down an offer of free voter ID card assistance
As the Ugandan government faces continued allegations of election fraud and voter intimidation, the Observer reports that the government recently turned down a Japanese offer to implement a voter ID card system free of charge.
The Japanese proposal would have covered all of the card printers, printer ribbons, installation, instructions and training on the system’s operation, provided that the work would have gone to Japanese companies, according to the Observer.
The Observer says that the deal fell apart when Ugandan officials also wanted Japanese companies to update the country’s voter registry, which the paper said is rumored to be filled with false names.
The government then hired a German company to both manufacture the IDs and clean up the voter registry for more than $60 million. The Observer says that the German contractor has already requested additional funding to help train more workers for the project.
The Black Star News says a report by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last month was sharply critical of the current Ugandan administration for charges of voter intimidation, threats against opposition leaders and an inaccurate voter list.
The paper says Clinton will issue additional reports surrounding the country’s scheduled presidential elections in February 2011.
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