Ruling party campaign sets stage for victory in Uganda

KAMPALA: Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s success in Thursday’s election is widely predicted, but the violence in pursuit of victory that characterised previous polls has scarcely been seen.

After three decades in office, Museveni and his National Resistance Movement ( NRM) are eyeing a fifth term for one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, but have little need to bludgeon opponents who can be overpowered with money and reach instead.

“The NRM is attempting to run a clean campaign, and that’s something new,” said Angelo Izama, a political commentator.

Elections in 2006 and 2011 were marred by violent, and occasionally deadly, street protests and the liberal use of tear gas by heavy-handed police.

Campaigning for Thursday’s election so far has been largely peaceful despite leading opposition candidates, Kizza Besigye and Amama Mbabazi, posing the strongest challenge yet.

Monday was an exception, with police saying at least one person was killed as they fought running battleswithoppositionsupporters. Opposition politicians said three peoplewereshotdead,andBesigye was briefly detained.

The electoral playing field, however, is pitched at such a steep gradient that challengers are beaten before they begin.

“ElectionsinUgandaarebought more than rigged,” said Henry Muguzi, national coordinator of the Alliance for Election Campaign Finance Monitoring, a civil society watchdog.

Muguzi calculates the NRM party and all its candidates spent US$35 million (32 million euros) on campaigning in November and December, equivalent to 87 per cent of all party election spending.

He says Museveni spent 8 million on his campaign in the same period, nearly 12 times the amount spent by all the other seven presidential candidates put together.

Among the tools at Museveni’s disposal is a helicopter leased from a Kenyan businessman that previously helped carry Tanzania’s John Magufuli to victory in the neighbouring nation’s October poll. — AFP