Polls have closed in Uganda’s tense presidential election with opposition frontrunner, Bobi Wine urging supporters to “stay and guard” their votes.
Wine, of the National Unity Platform party, said he does not believe the election is free and fair and admonished supporters to linger near polling stations to protect their votes despite calls from electoral commission -which the opposition sees as weak- that voters must return home after casting ballots.
“Our polling agents and our polling coordinators and polling assistants are on the run because they are being surrounded and being pursued by the police and the military as if they are criminals,” Wine told reporters.
“We encourage them (voters) to stay and guard their vote. Keep your face mask on, maintain social distancing but keep there and watch all the proceedings.”
Mugisha Muntu, a presidential candidate for the National Transformation, also reported that his party’s agents have been “rejected, arrested or intimidated” in Jinja and Ntungamo.
Another candidate, Patrick Oboi Amuriat, of the Forum for Democratic Change, added the vote has been rigged and will not accept the results.
“This election has already been rigged,” Amuriat told reporters, adding that “we will not accept the outcome of this election”.
Some 18 million voters registered for the presidential and parliamentary vote, and results are expected by Saturday, January 16. A candidate must win more than 50% to avoid a runoff vote.
Rogers Mulindwa, a spokesman for the governing National Resistance Movement party, says Ugandans turned out to vote in large numbers.
His observation was echoed by mechanic Steven Kaderere who told reporters after casting his vote that, “This is a miracle. This shows me that Ugandans this time, are determined to vote for the leader they want. I have never seen this before.”
Incumbent President, Yoweri Museveni has wielded power since 1986 and is seeking a sixth term against a strong challenge from Wine, a popular pop star-turned-opposition lawmaker. Nine other challengers are also vying to unseat President Museveni.
After voting, the President was asked if he would accept the election’s outcome and said “of course” but quickly added, “If there are no mistakes.”
Security forces have deployed heavily in the area that encompasses Kampala, where the opposition has strong support.
“Museveni is putting all the deployments in urban areas where the opposition has an advantage,” said Gerald Bareebe, an Assistant Professor of political science at Canada’s York University. “If you ask many Ugandans now, they say the ballot paper is not worth my life.”
However, some young people said they would vote despite the apparent risks.
“This government has ruled us badly. They have really squeezed us,” said Allan Sserwadda, a car washer. “They have ruled us for years and they say they have ideas. But they are not the only ones who have ideas.”
Asked if the heavy military deployment fazed him, he smiled and said; “If we are to die, let us die. Now there is no difference between being alive and being dead. Bullets can find you anywhere. They can find you at home. They can find you on the veranda.”
The African Union and East African bloc deployed election observer missions but the European Union said “an offer to deploy a small team of electoral experts was not taken up.” The US also cancelled its observation of the election after being denied accreditation.
