Ugandans wait anxiously for election results as opposition alleges rigging, internet shutdown continues. Uganda's presidential and parliamentary elections are complete with voters having gone to the polls despite delays caused by malfunctioning voting machines.
President Yoweri Museveni is seeking a seventh term in office while his main challenger Bobi Wine has promised to tackle corruption and impose sweeping reforms. The two leaders are locked in a tight contest, with many observers predicting Museveni will emerge victorious.
However, the opposition claims that there were widespread allegations of rigging and electoral fraud, particularly at polling stations where security forces disrupted their activities.
The Uganda Communications Commission imposed an internet shutdown to prevent misinformation and fraud ahead of Thursday's election, but this move has been condemned by the UN human rights office as "deeply worrying". The National Unity Platform party has responded with its own vote-monitoring app that uses Bluetooth technology to share voting results data without needing internet access.
A total of seven presidential candidates were on the ballot papers in the elections.
President Yoweri Museveni is seeking a seventh term in office while his main challenger Bobi Wine has promised to tackle corruption and impose sweeping reforms. The two leaders are locked in a tight contest, with many observers predicting Museveni will emerge victorious.
However, the opposition claims that there were widespread allegations of rigging and electoral fraud, particularly at polling stations where security forces disrupted their activities.
The Uganda Communications Commission imposed an internet shutdown to prevent misinformation and fraud ahead of Thursday's election, but this move has been condemned by the UN human rights office as "deeply worrying". The National Unity Platform party has responded with its own vote-monitoring app that uses Bluetooth technology to share voting results data without needing internet access.
A total of seven presidential candidates were on the ballot papers in the elections.
. I mean, I get why they'd want to prevent misinformation and fraud, but an internet shutdown? That's not exactly reassuring, you know? It feels like they're trying to control the narrative more than actually ensuring free and fair elections 
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. Can't wait for some post-election analysis to figure out what really went down! 
... first of all, i feel bad for the ppl who had to wait forever to vote due to those malfunctioning machines 
. and then the opposition comes forward with some major allegations of rigging and electoral fraud 
... it's like, totally unacceptable.
it's not only frustrating for people who wanna stay informed, but also super concerning cuz that's basically a way to control what ppl are allowed to know. like, come on, let the ppl decide 
... we'll just have to wait & see how it all goes down 
. how's that supposed to prevent misinformation or fraud again? didn't they learn from other countries' experiences with internet restrictions 
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it's like they're more interested in rigging the outcome than letting the people have a say! I mean, internet shutdown? That's just ridiculous 
and UN is right to call it out as deeply worrying 
but seriously, what kind of democracy are we talking about here?
– but who wins? Only time (and the votes) will tell 
!
. anyway, i hope they can get those voting machines fixed ASAP, who wants to risk voting for a machine that might not count their votes? 
And don't even get me started on the internet shutdown... what's next? No socials? 
And Bobi Wine, the opposition leader, is all about changing things up and fighting corruption... good luck with that! 
The opposition's allegations of rigging don't sit well with me either - we need to know that our votes are being counted fairly.
But for now, I'll just keep an eye on things and hope that everything goes smoothly (but let's be real, probably won't 
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I mean, what's wrong with a little misinformation and not having full control over the flow of info? 
And now this vote-monitoring app thing is being developed... that's like, totally cool tech, right? 
! That takes a lot of courage and determination. I hope that this election will be a turning point for Uganda, where the country can start to move towards more transparency and accountability 
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. and what really gets me is how some ppl are saying its all just "oh no, misinformation" like that's an excuse to shut down the entire internet 
. dont even get me started on how the international community is watching this unfold 
. The UN's all worried about it too, but I guess that's what happens when you're trying to suppress info 
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. Fingers crossed for the Ugandans – may the best candidate win, and let's hope it's not because of some shady election rigging 
like how can they shut down the internet like that?! its not fair to anyone who wants to stay informed or report any potential issues. and now with the vote-monitoring app, its like the gov is trying to control everything 
meanwhile i was talking to my friend from uganda yesterday and she said things were super tense at the polling stations... cant imagine how scary it must've been for her to see what's going on there 
. Fingers crossed for Ugandans everywhere 
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. It's like they're trying to control every aspect of life in that country. The whole thing just reeks of authoritarian vibes