APRM COUNTRY REVIEW REPORT Elections and Governance, among others. The country has also established democracy-promoting institutions such as the Uganda Human Rights Commission, IGG, and the Auditor General. The quality of its competitive and regular elections has also been repeatedly declared as free and fair presidential already since 1996. v. However, this does not tell the whole story about competition for political power in Uganda; there have also been concerns in several areas, including the formula for political party funding, access to public media, and the over-zealous implementation of the Public Order and Management Act in a way that has diminished the political space in the country, including curtailment of freedom of expression and assembly. After a serious consideration of the facts on the ground, the Panel recommends, among others, that the government reconsider the funding formula for political parties to ensure fairness and equity, with less emphasis on party representation in Parliament and more emphasis on baseline funding. vi. Equally important is the current debate on the removal of the constitutional age limit for election to the presidency of the Republic. Although this issue was nowhere mentioned in Uganda's CSAR 2017, the Country Review Mission (CRM) learnt soon after its arrival in the country that this was in fact the most explosive issue in the country at the time. The matter was triggered by a private members' bill which sought, among others, “to review the eligibility requirements for a person to be elected as President or District Chairperson under articles 102(b) and 183(2) to comply with article 1 which gives the people of Uganda the absolute right to determine how they should be governed and articles 21 and 32 which prohibit any form of discrimination on the basis of age and other factors.” Despite the fact that the parliamentary motion was in the nature of a private members' bill, the move was naturally understood as calculated to enable the incumbent, H.E. President Yoweri Museveni, to stand in the next elections in 2021, by which time he would be about 77 years old. Learning from the commendable approach taken by CRR 2008 on the related issue of the constitutional amendment to lift the presidential term limit to a maximum of two terms of five years each, the Panel this time too recommends that Government needs to ensure that the ongoing debate is handled in accordance with the doctrines and spirit of Rule of Law and constitutionalism. vii. Contrary to the well-articulated separation of powers in Uganda's constitution and other laws, there is the perception that the executive remains unduly dominant in the country. The CRM notes that, although Uganda has made separation of powers an integral part of its governance system, the dominance of the executive and the resulting weaknesses in the system of checks and balances has become a matter of concern. viii. Both parliament and the judiciary feel the executive's dominance in several ways, from the latter's use of its budgeting power to weaken the judiciary to the apparent deployment of the military to intimidate members of parliament into acting in a certain fashion. The CRM noted the enormous constraints caused by lack of human and financial resources that democracy-promoting institutions such as the Uganda Human Rights Commission face while delivering on their constitutional mandates. The Panel thus recommends that Government ensure the financial and administrative independence and capacity of the Judiciary, the Legislature and the other democracy-promoting institutions in Uganda and enable them to exercise their powers effectively and efficiently. ix. Uganda has made tremendous effort in managing diversity through Section III(ii) of the Constitution under National Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy Section, which provides that “every effort shall be made to integrate all the peoples of Uganda while at the same time recognizing the existence of their ethnic, religious, ideological, political and cultural diversity”. Uganda has also ratified the African Charter on Human and People's Rights which guarantees cultural, economic, political and social rights to all citizens. However, the CRM finds that there is a sense of marginalization felt by ethnic minority groups in the country such as the Batwa, Banyabutumbi, Basongora, Shana, Tepeth and the Venoma. The CRM notes that this is an area of possible source of conflict in the future if discontent continues and it poses challenges to the inclusive management of diversity in the country. The Panel recommends that the Government consider enhancing the capacity of its institutions mandated to promote and protect the rights of ethnic minorities as a matter oof priority. x. Uganda has also made great strides in the protection and promotion of women's rights through the enactment of several pieces of legislation and establishment of institutions. However, the rights of women as articulated in legislation are too often not implemented in practice, and too many cultural and religious 2