Ugandan opposition candidate Bobi Wine slammed an internet shutdown in the country as he cast his ballot on Thursday in the country’s presidential election. Uganda’s internet was shut down Tuesday by the government communications agency, which cited misinformation, electoral fraud and incitement of violence.
The shutdown has affected the public and disrupted critical sectors such as banking.
“(The) Internet has been switched off across the country. This is done in order to facilitate the intended rigging of the regime, otherwise why would the people of Uganda be denied the right to communicate and why Ugandan elections should be held in the dark?,” Wine said after voting in Kampala.
Uganda’s presidential election was plagued by widespread delays Thursday in addition to a days-long internet shutdown that has been criticized as an anti-democratic tactic in a country where the president has held office since 1986. Some polling stations remained closed for up to four hours after the scheduled 7 a.m. start time due to “technical challenges,” according to the nation’s electoral commission, which asked polling officers to use paper registration records to ensure the difficulties did not “disenfranchise” any voter.
President Yoweri Museveni, 81, faces seven other candidates, including Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, who is calling for political change.
The East African country of roughly 45 million people has 21.6 million registered voters. Polls are expected to close at 4 p.m. Thursday, according to the electoral commission. Results are constitutionally required to be announced in 48 hours. Wine alleged there was electoral fraud occurring, noting that biometric voter identification machines were not working at polling places.
Museveni told journalists he was notified biometric machines were inoperable at some stations and he supported the electoral body’s decision to revert to paper registration records. He did not comment on the allegation of fraud.
Source: Africanews
