Uganda’s election chief, Simon Byabakama, has publicly stated that he has received threats from senior state officials warning him not to declare certain candidates the winner of Thursday’s presidential election.
Speaking to the press, Byabakama remained defiant, asserting that “fear is a word that does not exist in my vocabulary” and that the will of the voters, not intimidation, will determine the outcome.
His comments came in response to a viral video showing a presidential assistant claiming the electoral commission would never declare opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine, as president, even if he won.
President Yoweri Museveni, 81, is seeking a seventh term against his main challenger Bobi Wine, 43, in an election cycle marked by the disruption of opposition rallies, a heavy military presence, and a nationwide internet shutdown imposed by the authorities to curb “misinformation.”
Byabakama affirmed that he would declare the legal winner within 48 hours of polls closing, stating, “What the voters have said is what I will declare to the nation.”
