The opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known to many as Bobi Wine, on the day of the elections made very strong accusations about ballot stuffing and interference happening in a systematic way in Uganda’s elections, and at the same time, he raised doubts about the trustworthiness of the vote.
This was all happening while the voting was ongoing under tight security along with a sweeping digital blackout. The claim is one of the strongest challenges to President Yoweri Museveni’s ambition for re-election for a seventh consecutive term.
In a public statement that was made at the very beginning of the day when the polling stations opened, Wine (who is the leader of the National Unity Platform—NUP) mentioned that his agents had seen many irregularities at various voting places.
The irregularities involved ballot manipulation and the suppression of the opposition observers. He denounced what he called “having state institutions working together to change the election outcome in favor of the ruling party,” and this was a very strong claim, and it highlighted the existing deep rift concerning election transparency.
The accusations are made at the moment of great tension in the country. The government ordered an internet blackout all over the country a day before voting day, which, according to the officials, was necessary to prevent misinformation, but critics denounced it as a strategy to cover up supervisions and hinder independent reporting. Wine and his followers claim the closure has practically made it impossible to document or report on-the-spot abuses.
The situation at the polling stations has been marked with bureaucratic delays, malfunctioning biometric systems, and tardy equipment, causing fears of mismanagement. Voters in several urban districts—where the opposition has its most substantial support—are complaining about the slow process and inefficiencies that may lead to fewer voters taking part in the elections.
Museveni has been in power since 1986 and has made light of the critics while he assured that the elections will be free and fair. The officials of the government have also been defending the security presence and the communication cuts, saying that the measures are to protect the voters and keep the order during the politically tense times.
Bobi Wine has instructed the supporters to camp at the polling places to help with the observation of the elections and has also threatened to call for protests in case of any rigging that would be proved by evidence. The degree of the accusations and the communication restrictions have attracted the world’s attention, with human rights organizations expressing that Uganda’s electoral process is undergoing a heavy strain.
The outcomes will be announced in a few days, but the accusations of Wine regarding the rigging and the inadequate transparency are already influencing the story of an election that may have a major impact on Uganda’s political future.
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