Fears of violence as Uganda set for landmark election

KAMPALA – Ugandans prepared for their first multi-party elections since 1980 after a tense campaign punctuated by violence and charges of state intimidation, as fears of polling-day clashes ran high.

On the eve of today’s polls, diplomats and rights groups warned of fresh unrest as voters cast ballots in an exercise dominated by the presidential race between incumbent Yoweri Museveni and arch-rival Kizza Besigye. “All Ugandan political parties must call on their supporters to refrain from violence in the tense buildup to the country’s first multi-party elections in 26 years,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement.”Tension among voters is high and pre-election violence has been on the increase,” it said.”The political parties have a duty to prevent further violence.”The US embassy in Kampala urged “caution” as the polls approached amid opposition anger over Besigye’s prosecution on rape and treason charges and sporadic pre-vote incidents involving the security forces.”There remains a potential for unrest as the elections draw near and in the period following the election when votes are being tabulated and results announced,” it said.The national election board appealed for calm, warning that authorities “will not hesitate to take action against any form of violence.””I wish to remind candidates and parties and their agents and supporters that in elections there are always losers and winners,” chairman Badru Kiggundu said.”Winners should be gracious …losers should accept the results.”Museveni blames Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) for instigating campaign violence, including the shooting deaths of two opposition supporters by a government militiaman last week, and warned against further trouble.Yesterday, the final day of the campaign, the president said 12 000 army reserves would be deployed at the nearly 20 000 polling stations around the country on voting day to ensure security.”There are those who think that they will use violence in the elections,” Museveni told a huge crowd of supporters in the capital.”We are ready for them.Whoever tries to disrupt the elections will see what happens to him.”But Human Rights Watch and other groups worry the presence of so many troops may result in the intimidation of voters being asked to choose a president as well as elect 310 lawmakers for the national parliament.Independent polls suggest the president is close to the threshold of more than 50 per cent of the vote needed for an outright victory.The NRM maintains Museveni will win at least 70 per cent, a figure the FDC says can only be reached through massive fraud.Besigye lost the last presidential election to Museveni in 2001 with 28 per cent of the vote compared to the president’s nearly 70 per cent.- Nampa-AFP”All Ugandan political parties must call on their supporters to refrain from violence in the tense buildup to the country’s first multi-party elections in 26 years,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement.”Tension among voters is high and pre-election violence has been on the increase,” it said.”The political parties have a duty to prevent further violence.”The US embassy in Kampala urged “caution” as the polls approached amid opposition anger over Besigye’s prosecution on rape and treason charges and sporadic pre-vote incidents involving the security forces.”There remains a potential for unrest as the elections draw near and in the period following the election when votes are being tabulated and results announced,” it said.The national election board appealed for calm, warning that authorities “will not hesitate to take action against any form of violence.””I wish to remind candidates and parties and their agents and supporters that in elections there are always losers and winners,” chairman Badru Kiggundu said.”Winners should be gracious …losers should accept the results.”Museveni blames Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) for instigating campaign violence, including the shooting deaths of two opposition supporters by a government militiaman last week, and warned against further trouble.Yesterday, the final day of the campaign, the president said 12 000 army reserves would be deployed at the nearly 20 000 polling stations around the country on voting day to ensure security.”There are those who think that they will use violence in the elections,” Museveni told a huge crowd of supporters in the capital.”We are ready for them.Whoever tries to disrupt the elections will see what happens to him.”But Human Rights Watch and other groups worry the presence of so many troops may result in the intimidation of voters being asked to choose a president as well as elect 310 lawmakers for the national parliament.Independent polls suggest the president is close to the threshold of more than 50 per cent of the vote needed for an outright victory.The NRM maintains Museveni will win at least 70 per cent, a figure the FDC says can only be reached through massive fraud.Besigye lost the last presidential election to Museveni in 2001 with 28 per cent of the vote compared to the president’s nearly 70 per cent.- Nampa-AFP