Millions of Ugandans will Thursday cast their votes in a crucial presidential rematch between a former pop star and their long-time authoritarian leader, who aims to prolong his nearly 40-year rule.
In their previous encounter at the polls in 2021, President Yoweri Museveni, now 81, won by a landslide. Bobi Wine, a singer-turned-politician, finished a distant second.
Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, disputed the results, claiming they were rigged. The 44-year-old former pop singer, who claims he has been beaten, tasered, and attacked with teargas while campaigning against Museveni, is now rarely seen in public without a flak jacket and helmet.
Who are the main contenders?
Museveni seized the top job in 1986 – when Wine was just three. He secured the presidency following an armed uprising, and is now seeking a seventh consecutive term in office. Observers and analysts expect he is very likely to achieve it.
He has built his campaign around the motto “protecting the gains,” portraying a legacy of peace and stability during his four decades in power, and promised to lift Uganda – one of the world’s poorest countries – to a “high middle-income status” through investment in manufacturing and agriculture.
Museveni’s critics claim he has so-far held on to power by sidelining opponents.
Wine has built his identity on uncompromising opposition to what he describes as Museveni’s “dictatorship.” He is promising to bu
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