Friday, November 8, 2024

Uganda: Bobi Wine says elections are marred by “fraud and violence” | Election News

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The opposition leader did not give details of the charges as the government said the vote was peaceful.

Bobi Wine, Ugandan incumbent President Yoweri Museveni’s main challenger in the election, said Friday morning that Thursday’s vote was marked by “widespread fraud and violence”, but the opposition leader remained positive so that the ballots were counted under an Internet blackout.

“Despite widespread fraud and violence across the country earlier today, the situation is still good. Thanks to Uganda for coming and voting in record numbers, ”Wine tweeted shortly after midnight (9:00 p.m. GMT), managing to bypass the blockage.

The 38-year-old former pop star-turned-lawmaker did not give details of his accusations, contradicting the government’s account that Thursday’s vote was peaceful and no case of widespread violence was reported. reported.

The Election Commission is expected to publish the results within 48 hours.

The internet went down for a third day as the vote count continued across the country. The results are expected on Saturday afternoon.

President Museveni is seeking a sixth term, and Wine was arrested several times during the campaign, is his main competitor among 11 opposition candidates.

The election came after one of the most violent campaigns in years, with harassment and arrests of opposition leaders, attacks on the media and dozens of deaths.

The run-up to election day was marred by continued crackdown on Museveni’s rivals and government critics and by unprecedented attacks on the country’s media and human rights defenders.

In November, at least 54 people were shot dead by security forces loyal to Museveni during protests against one of Wine’s many arrests.

The United States, the EU, the UN, and democracy and rights groups around the world have expressed concerns about the integrity and transparency of elections.

Meanwhile, the African Union (AU) sent observers, as well as an AU women’s group.

On Wednesday, the United States, a major aid donor to Uganda, announced it was canceling a diplomatic observation mission after several of its staff were denied permission to monitor the elections.

On Tuesday, Museveni announced the suspension of social media networks and messaging services like Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp in response to the closure of Facebook accounts linked to government officials who the tech giant said were spreading disinformation.



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