Ugandans head to the polls Thursday, and a preview by Emmanuel Akinwotu for NPR includes a remarkable recollection. Back in 1986, the nation's new president, Yoweri Museveni, declared the following:
- "The problem of Africa in general, and Uganda in particular, is not the people but leaders who want to overstay in power."
Flash forward to the president, and, you guessed it, the now 81-year-old Museveni, 81, is seeking a seventh term after four decades in power. He's facing a strong challenge from 43-year-old opposition leader and former pop star Bobi Wine, who is calling for political reform, per the AP. Roughly 21.6 million registered voters are eligible to cast ballots, but they're doing so under an internet shutdown and a heavy deployment of security forces. Already, long delays have been reported at polling stations, chalked up to "technical challenges."
Authorities say the communications blackout is a "precautionary" step to maintain order, while rights groups and journalists describe a climate of intimidation marked by arrests of activists and limits on reporting. Uganda has never seen a peaceful handover between elected leaders since independence, raising the stakes for what many see as a test of whether change at the ballot box is even possible. Museveni, whose willingness to take US deportees has gained favor with the Trump administration, argues that continuity is essential to preserve stability. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has rallied a mostly young base in a country where the vast majority of the 50 million citizens are under 40 and have never known another president.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
