Ugandans decide on leadership in high-stakes elections

Ugandans headed to the polls on Thursday to elect a new president and lawmakers in a general election that has prompted the East African country’s government to shut down the internet amid heightened security and political tensions.

The authorities have deployed thousands of security personnel across the country. Police Chief Political Commissar Ubaldo Bamunoba told reporters in the capital, Kampala, on Monday that the deployment is a “preventive” measure to ensure the safety of all Ugandans and warned against “criminal acts in the name of elections.”

Photos and videos shared on social media by local outlets show crowds waiting in long lines at polling stations from early morning. The Ugandan Electoral Commission said voting had been delayed at some locations due to technical issues with biometric voter verification kits.

“The commission regrets any inconveniences caused and assures the public that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure a smooth and credible voting process nationwide,” it said in a statement.

Around 21.6 million voters have registered for the January 15 election, according official figures. Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, seeking a seventh term, faces seven challengers, including 43-year-old pop star-turned-politician Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine.

Museveni has ruled Uganda since 1986 and currently ranks as the world’s third-longest consecutively serving non-royal head of state, after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema and Cameroon’s Paul Biya. The 81-year-old leader has positioned himself as a staunch opponent of Western interference in the country’s affairs. He has drawn criticism for allegedly suppressing opposition, amending the constitution to remove presidential age and term limits, and enacting some of the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQ laws.

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In the last elections held in 2021, the long-time leader received 59% of the votes, while his main rival, Wine, secured 35%. The former singer was placed under house arrest over national security concerns amid post-election unrest, which was sparked by claims of vote-rigging – allegations the authorities denied.

On Monday, Wine threatened to call for protests if Thursday’s election is rigged in favor of Museveni, declaring that “violent regimes get thrown out by protests.”

President Museveni issued a warning in response, stating that anyone who attempts to incite violence “will be dealt with firmly.”