President Yoweri Museveni is seeking to extend his power into a fifth decade as Ugandans cast ballots in a tense national election on Thursday after violent campaign and internet lockdown intended to curb what the government called “misinformation.”
The iconic singer Bobi Wine is expected to challenge Museveni, but the election will test the 81-year-old leader’s political fortitude and capacity to steer clear of the kind of turmoil that has rocked Kenya and Tanzania.
Even as rumours about his potential successor circulate, the longtime leader has run on a platform of “protecting the gains,” promising to uphold peace and bring the nation up to middle-income status.
Wine, a 43-year-old pop musician known as the “Ghetto President” due to his lowly beginnings, has appealed to young people who are upset about the lack of economic possibilities in a nation where the average age is just over 16 and has pledged to put an end to what he refers to as Museveni’s “dictatorship”.
In Kampala, the capital, polls began in the midst of a strong police presence. On Tuesday, the government restricted mobile and internet access nationwide.
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