From left to right Opposition candidates for Ugandan Election, Alliance for National transformation flag bearer Gen Mugisha Muntu, Forum for Democratic Change party flag bearer Patrick Amuriat and National unity platform candidate Bobi Wine during a press conference in Kampala Uganda, Tuesday, Jan.12, 2021. Opposition figures in Uganda cited widespread violence perpetrated by the security forces ahead of presidential election on upcoming Thursday, including an alleged dawn attack Tuesday on the residence of main presidential challenger Bobi Wine.(AP Photo/nicholas bamulanzeki )
According to Associated Press reports, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni shows the ink mark on the thumb after he voted in Kiruhura district, which is Museveni’s home area, Uganda, Deadly violence and repressive measures have alarmed observers as Uganda prepares to vote on Jan. 14, 2021,
With longtime President Yoweri Museveni challenged by young singer and lawmaker Bobi Wine, who has captured the imagination of many across Africa in a generational clash.
Uganda’s 76-year-old president has defied calls for his retirement, saying he has been elected many times by Ugandans who love him. Ugandan polls are often marred by allegations of rigging. The country has never seen a peaceful transfer of power since independence from Britain in 1962.
Yoweri Museveni, dressed in a military jacket, said he was “sure the government has closed social media” and apologized to Ugandans for what he called an inconvenience. Facebook on Monday said it had removed a network of accounts and pages that “used fake and duplicate accounts to manage pages, comment on other people’s content, impersonate users, re-share posts in groups to make them appear more popular than they were.” The network was linked to a government ministry, it said.
Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, has alleged repeatedly that foreign groups are trying to meddle in Uganda’s election, without providing evidence. He has accused his main challenger, the popular singer and opposition lawmaker known as Bobi Wine, of being “an agent of foreign interests.” Wine denies this.
The atmosphere in Uganda is increasingly charged ahead of voting. Police and military personnel now patrol the streets in parts of the capital, Kampala, and the military is in charge of all security operations in the Kampala metropolitan area.