Ahead of the Ugandan general election on Thursday, CNN’s Zain Asher spoke with Ugandan opposition candidate Bobi Wine about his hopes for a victory.
43-year-old Wine finished runner up in the 2021 elections, meaning the current president, 81-year-old Yoweri Museveni, retained his six-term rule. Reflecting on this loss, he told Asher: “dictators might not go with the first or second or third push, but eventually they fall if we don’t give up.”
He explained what he is doing differently in this campaign in hopes to beat Museveni, “this time, we don’t anchor it on an individual. We don’t anchor it on myself. Yes, I’m the presidential candidate. Yes, I’m the leader. But we have tasked the people of Uganda to take charge of the campaign, to take charge of the voting of the fort protection.”
“But most importantly, in case Museveni rigs the election, like all signs are showing, the people of Uganda must rise up and demand for their victory.”
Wine shared with Asher his plans if he were to reach the top job in Uganda, “we want to re empower the institutions of state, and end the state capture, ensure that the judiciary and the legislature are independent and can check the executive. That way we will be able to stop the one-man rule and have knowledgeable, talented and able people to bring minds together and lead our country ahead.”
Key quotes from Wine:
On why it’s important for him to run in the election:
“It is important for us to challenge the authoritarian ruler again and again and again, until we eventually get our freedom, because no challenging him means giving up. Yes, we know that all odds are up against us, the military, the police and all institutions of state, but also it is clear that the people of Uganda are standing firmly behind the forces of change that I am leading.”
On what he’s learnt since the 2021 elections:
“We’ve learnt that dictators might not go with the first or second or third push, but eventually they fall if we don’t give up. We have learned that we have to devise various means of communication. But most importantly, we’ve learned that we have to send back the responsibility to the population.”
On his impediments:
“As we speak right now, more than 730 of our colleagues are in detention. They’ve been arrested. Many are abducted and missing. Some have been killed. But we’re pushing on.”
On his message to young Ugandans:
“To the young Ugandans, we’ve constantly told them that democracy works, but democracy only works when who stand firm and defend it.”
“We believe in voting firmly and outstandingly many and then defend that election, defend that victory. We’ve called upon the people of Uganda to exercise their constitutional right. Our Constitution, Article 29 provides that the people of Uganda can peacefully, unarmed, protest any wrongdoing, and that is what we’re calling upon the people of Uganda in case General Museveni rigs the election this time.”
On his plans if he gets elected:
“Back in the day, our problems were three, ignorance, disease and poverty, but now our problem can squarely be circled into one, corruption, massive corruption, which has been institutionalized, which has been turned into a currency and as a way of living and a way of staying in power. We want to crack down on that corruption when we take power. But most importantly, we also want to re empower the institutions, institutions of state, and end the state capture, ensure that the judiciary and the legislature are independent and can check the executive. That way we will be able to stop the one-man rule and have knowledgeable, talented and able people to bring minds together and lead our country ahead.”
