UGANDA
Six and Counting
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni won his sixth term in office over the weekend, defeating popular singer-turned-lawmaker Bobi Wine following a tense election that was marked by Internet blackouts and a government crackdown on the opposition, NPR reported.
The electoral commission said that Museveni received 58 percent of the vote, while Wine got 34 percent. The opposition leader said that vote was rigged and urged Ugandans to reject it.
Top US diplomat to Africa, Tibor Nagy, called the electoral process “fundamentally flawed,” citing the authorities’ refusal to give accreditation to election observers and its crackdown on opposition figures and civil service organization workers.
The election was closely watched due to Wine’s popularity among the country’s youth. More than two-thirds of the Ugandan population is under the age of 30.
Wine hoped that his victory would spark a generational shift that would be felt across the continent, where many aging leaders are still holding onto power.
No comments:
Post a Comment