(3 minutes read)
· Voters queued to cast their ballots in Uganda’s presidential election yesterday
· The campaign trail was marked by widespread violence
· Wine, a popular young singer-turned-opposition lawmaker, and nine other challengers are opposing incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, becoming one of the longest serving rulers of the continent
Voters queued to cast their ballots in Uganda’s presidential election yesterday. As reported by www.trendsnafrica.com , the campaign trail was marked by widespread violence. There were reports that the security forces would try to stop supporters of leading opposition challenger Bobi Wine from monitoring polling stations. More details about the voting and the extent of violence are expected.
Wine, a popular young singer-turned-opposition lawmaker, and nine other challengers are opposing incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, becoming one of the longest serving rulers of the continent.
Wine’s many associates were jailed. The security forces also cracked down on opposition supporters. The security forces claimed that such a crackdown was necessary to avoid street uprisings, though Wine and his supporters assert that demonstrations were peaceful.
The vote count has already begun immediately after the poll and the results are expected to be out in 48 hours. Close to 17 million people have registered to vote. A candidate must win more than 50% to avoid a runoff. To avoid any possible clashes due to spread of rumors, authorities claimed that they had cut off internet.
