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Ugandan Opposition Sees âFlawedâ Election Next Year Likely

   Peter Clottey 29 November 2010
   Uganda  President  Yoweri  Museveni,  left,  being  interviewed  by  a
   journalist,  after he was nominated to run for presidential elections;
   Forum  for Democratic Changeâs Dr. Kizza Besigye after being nominated
   for presidential elections in the capital city Kampa

Photo: AP

   Uganda  President  Yoweri  Museveni,  left,  being  interviewed  by  a
   journalist,  after he was nominated to run for presidential elections;
   Forum  for Democratic Changeâs Dr. Kizza Besigye after being nominated
   for  presidential  elections  in  the capital city Kampala, Uganda, 25
   Oct. 2010

   The  leader  of  Ugandaâs  main opposition Forum for Democratic Change
   (FDC)  told  VOA  there  are  strong  indications  the government will
   âinherentlyâ   rig  next  yearâs  general  election  despite  what  he
   described  as  citizen  disaffection  with President Yoweri Museveniâs
   âpoor performingâ administration.

   Doctor  Kizza Besigye said the government has repeatedly refused calls
   for  an  overhaul  of both the electoral commission and the voter list
   ahead of the scheduled February election.

   âAs we enter this current election, it is clear that the election will
   be  flawed  and, in such an environment, it is not possible to predict
   what  will  happen.  Certainly, we do not know to what extent the next
   election will be rigged,â said Besigye.

   âWe  know  for  sure  that  we  have  a  votersâ register which is not
   credible  at  all.  We  have a number of registered voters put at more
   than  15  million  voters. So, we have another hugely inflated votersâ
   register, which is normally the beginning of the rigging process.â

   Ugandan  opposition  groups  have  rejected  previous election results
   saying the electoral commission is biased towards President Museveniâs
   governing   National  Resistance  Movement  (NRM)  party  â  a  charge
   supporters of the ruling party deny.

   Besigye  said  it  will  be  impossible  to  know who wins next yearâs
   election  since,  in  his  words, the vote will be massively rigged in
   favor of the ruling party.

   âThe  fact  (is)  that  we  have  an  electoral commission that is not
   independent  and  cannot  be  independent  because  it is an electoral
   commission  that  served  entirely  at  the  pleasure  of  one  of the
   candidates.  If one of the candidates tomorrow wakes up and decided to
   dismiss  the  entire  electoral  commission, he has the power to do so
   under the law without consulting anybody.â

   President   Museveniâs  opponents  have  expressed  concern  that  his
   re-appointment  of  the  same members of the electoral commission that
   organized the previous two elections will undermine the credibility of
   the 2011 vote.

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