Uganda elections 2021: Yoweri Museveni faces Bobi Wine in presidential contest
A 38-yr-historic pop big name is challenging considered one of Africa’s longest serving leaders in Uganda’s hotly contested election.
Robert Kyagulanyi, accepted by means of his stage name Bobi Wine, says he represents the nation’s more youthful technology, while Yoweri Museveni, seventy six, says he is standing for stability.
The crusade has been marred via severe violence, which has viewed dozens of people killed.
The government has ordered a block on all social media.
President Museveni says this was as a result of facebook had banned several bills which backed his ruling birthday party.
Ugandan police say they’re going to install officers on rooftops of the capital Kampala on election day, whereas armoured automobiles have started patrolling the streets.
Polls open at 07:00 native time (04:00 GMT), with consequences no longer anticipated before Saturday.
President Museveni is searching for his sixth elected time period in workplace after 35 years in energy.
Campaigning had been banned within the capital Kampala, and several other districts. The opposition says here is because it is common in those areas, but the govt says it changed into to avoid the spread of Covid-19.
Opposition candidates – together with Bobi Wine – their supporters and campaign workforce had been arrested on several activities.
The police say the deployment to looking shops and different high-upward thrust constructions comes after opposition activists commanded protests from rooftops in November, when greater than 50 individuals had been killed after Bobi Wine turned into arrested.
Observers from Africa however now not the united states
the united states introduced on Wednesday that it turned into withdrawing its election observers after most of its accreditation requests have been denied.
![Uganda's general election. 14 January 2021 [ 18.1m people have registered to vote ] [ 11 candidates are running for president ],[ 1 of the candidates is a woman, Nancy Kalembe ],[ 5 elected terms so far for Yoweri Museveni ],[ 50% plus 1 votes needed for a candidate to avoid a run-off election ],[ 529 MPs will also be elected ], Source: Source: Uganda electoral commission, Image: A woman in a mask in front of a mural](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/TViZ0Au9frNBrCoAaX4ccQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTkzMC4yOTM0NzgyNjA4Njk2/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/lRmIZrm3znY2EhtykXwfXA--~B/aD0xMjE0O3c9OTIwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://media.zenfs.com/en/bbc_us_articles_995/5bd6ed13d0ae04b26ba66cc019afbfde)
the united states ambassador to Uganda Natalie Brown noted in a press release that with out observers, the presidential and parliamentary elections would lack “accountability, transparency and self belief”.
She added that numerous Ugandans had also not received their observer accreditation yet.
the european Union’s present to ship electoral consultants has not been taken up both.
based on this criticism, Mr Museveni’s spokesman Don Wanyama tweeted that there have been observers from the African Union and East African community.
“I don’t bear in mind when Uganda remaining despatched election observers to the united states,” he added.
The government has prior to now pointed out the election can be free and fair.
Bobi Wine has called on voters to remain at polling stations on Thursday and use their cellular phone cameras to checklist the tallying method with a purpose to prevent vote rigging.
On Wednesday, telecoms businesses told their purchasers that they had blocked all social media and messaging apps indefinitely, following an order from Uganda’s Communications fee.