The process of counting the presidential and parliamentary votes kicked off on Thursday in Uganda after the elections ended. The process continued as the electoral Commission promised that the election results would be out by Saturday. Preliminary results revealed that President Museveni was in the lead, with Bobi Wine coming second. The 38-year-old popstar rejected the tally and stated that it was a joke.
Museveni Leading
Mr. Museveni was leading with almost 65% of the 39% of the votes that the electoral Commission had counted. He had defeated Bobi Wine with quite a margin. Meanwhile, democratic leaders won majority of the parliamentary seats. Former Vice president Edward Ssekandi of Uganda was among the Republicans who had lost their seats. In a tweet, Mr. Wine alleged that Ugandan soldiers had jumped over the fence and got into his residence.
Mr. Wine alleges Elections Irregularities
On Friday, Bobi Wine claimed that the leading candidate had engaged in elections malpractice before the tallying. Mr. Wine rejected the news that his opponent was leading during the first phase of the counting process. Therefore on the same day, Mr. Wine called for a press conference and claimed that he had filmed proof of the fraud during the voting. He also called the results a joke. Bobi Wine cautioned Ugandans and his supporters to be precise to reject the results to live their course.
“I am very confident that we defeated the dictator by far. I call upon all Ugandans to reject the blackmail. We have certainly won this election, and we won it by far.”
The 38-year-old pop star has been the main rival to Uganda’s long term serving president, Yoweri Museveni. The latter has been in power for 35 years and is still contesting to secure a sixth term. The elections in Uganda have not been easy, as they have been faced with plenty of challenges. Police brutality, violence, repression, etc., have contributed to instability and disappointment.
Uganda Decides
For instance, Wine’s campaigns have been exposed to unending episodes of police brutality. Soldiers have gone around not once, but every time Wine holds a gathering to scatter the supporters. In one of the recent campaigns, the soldiers scattered the people claiming they were violating COVID-19 safety regulations.
According to Mr. Wine, Museveni and his blood regime were responsible for the marred and illegal elections. However, President Museveni has not yet commented on the allegations. However, Bobi Wine is positive despite all the silence; President Museveni has a role to play in the harassment he has been dealing with.
While commenting on the Elections, the Electoral Commission hailed the voters for ensuring peaceful and democratic elections. The head of the Commission, however, condemned Bobi Wine for challenging the official results. He felt that by stating that the polls were false, he was inciting the public, which could interfere with public security. Nonetheless, internet connections in Uganda were still severed. No one could access social media apps. The significance of cutting the connections was to maintain calm as the vote-counting continued. Bobi Wine promised Ugandans that once the internet was back, he would release videos of the irregularities.
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