The leader of opposition in Uganda Dr Kiiza Besigye and three other former presidential candidates have called upon Ugandans to protest against the results of the recently held presidential elections, saying that they were massively rigged.
Besigye told the press today in Kampala that he has been joined by three other opposition leaders who also lost in the elections to reject the results and call for demonstrations.
The other candidates are Olara Otunnu, Nobert Mao and Sam Lubega.
“We demand for fresh free and fair elections. We also call for action. There is no better time than now now for people of Uganda to rise and peacefully protest the outcome of 2011 elections,” Besigye said.
The opposition leader and main contender in the country’s past elections said that Ugandans should not only “sit and watch as their rights to democracy are abused” by President Yoweri Museveni and his government an called upon opposition supporters allover the country to start holding rallies and to demand for fresh elections.
“I cannot allow those results. There was massive rigging and widespread malpractices. Electoral commission officials were bribed. I am still gathering information to confirm the rigging” Besigye said on Sunday before the release of the official election results.
However, Judith Nabakooba, spokeswoman of Uganda police, has warned Ugandans against holding any form of protests saying it is illegal whilst warning that the police “will arrest and detain whoever gets involved in illegal protests”.
A few days ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections, Museveni had told journalists that protesters would be bundled into jail, locked up and brought before the courts.
