Dispatch of Observers to the National Referendum in the Republic of Uganda

June 26, 2000

The Government of Japan has decided to dispatch 4 officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, comprising Mr. Yoshiteru Iida, Charge d'Affaires ad interim and one from Japanese Embassy in Uganda and two from Japanese Embassy in Kenya, to join the International Election Observers for the Ugandan National Referendum to be held on June, 29, responding to the request of the Government of Uganda.
The referendum will decide whether Uganda will permit activities of political parties which has been practically prohibited since President Museveni took power in January 1986, through reintroducing a multi-party system. The referendum, therefore, will be a significant step for the promotion of democracy in Uganda.
Since last year, the election committee of Uganda has requested the major donor countries including Japan, the United States and the EU, to support the observation of the referendum. These countries have established the "Referendum Support Group (RSG)," engaged in close consultation and organized a group of international observers comprising the RSG and other countries. The observation of the referendum will be carried out by this group of international observers to which RSG countries participate on a voluntary basis, and the Japanese observers will carry out their mission as a part of the group.

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