Uganda's election on Thursday will see incumbent Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, seeking a seventh mandate – at the age of 81, in a country where 55 percent of the population is under 20. Supporters of his main rival, Bobi Wine, say he embodies hope for change. Robert Amsterdam, Wine's international legal representative, told RFI of the difficulties he has faced in a campaign fraught with fear and repression.
RFI: For the opposition, and in particular for Bobi Wine, this electoral campaign has been very difficult. How would you describe it?
Robert Amsterdam: Let's be really clear: this is a man who faces death each day. I was first brought in years ago as his lawyer when Museveni tried to kill Bobi by shooting into his car. Bobi was then brutally tortured and held in jail, in a town called Arua, Uganda.
And from that time, Bobi's life has been in danger. And, unlike many, he did not flee his country. He has stood his ground, fighting for Ugandans every day. He is representative of a population that is overwhelmingly under the age of 18 and desperate for change. He is the symbol of change, of youth, not only in Uganda but in Africa. He is an important and emblematic symbol of the fight of this generation to be heard, and for the dinosaurs of previous generations to step out of the way.
The world should start being run by people who have to live in its future, not by those who created a pretty horrendous past in Uganda.
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Many human rights organisations have criticised the repression and brutality they say has been seen during this electoral campaign. In light of this, how do you expect the election itself will go?
Of course, it's going to impact the vote. The authorities have cut off the internet. They've divided Kampala into 14 military districts. There's a massive, unprecedented mobilisation of the military. It's absurd and obscene.
I've already had calls from people within the government, who are highly confident of the outcome and are already reaching out to me because they're worried about what the response will be if there is another stolen election. So the government is gearing up to steal another election and deprive Uganda of its vote.
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Are there legal mechanisms in place that could ensure Ugandan voters get the result they deserve?
I also represent the opposition in Tanzania, where thousands [of people] were brutally murdered in another stolen election in this part of Africa. So I would be lying if I expressed great confidence in the [possibility of removing] a military dictator.
But at the same time, before a vote, however jaded it may be, I'm not going to make these comments. I'm going to pray for Bobi's safety and for the safety of those with the courage to vote for him and against Museveni and his dynasty. Because he's going to try to put his son in after he's finished.
Do you think Ugandans can see a future where politicians like Wine can emerge? In Uganda and beyond?
He's an inspirational figure, as is Tundu Lissu in Tanzania, who's now in solitary confinement, after being shot 16 times in a prior election. I think these martyrs – and Bobi Wine is a martyr, having suffered through torture and false imprisonment – are heroes of real democracy, not failed leaders and tired policies. These are men of vision who are trying to bring their people out of desperate circumstances.
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What is your advice for those parties who may have to wait months, if not years, to be able to represent their voters?
The first thing we have to do is condemn the African Union for living in the past, for making corrupt pacts with unqualified autocrats. We need somewhere in Africa to have a moral stance, and the African Union needs to be a light – not a dim reminder of the past.
And we have great political figures in parts of Africa who are doing their best. Some of them I've come to know through a life in Africa. I'm privileged to act for the Democratic Republic of Congo. And there's just a tremendous amount of inequality and despair that we need to turn around. And all of us who have invested parts of our lives in Africa, we need to not let another Ugandan election be stolen. We need to raise our voices.
Bobi Wine has promised there will be protests if the election is stolen. But can we be confident that people are going to be safe if that's the case?
Absolutely not. There's no confidence. You have a military that's corrupt and out of control. People have every legitimate right to fear for their lives, in a country that has no claim to democracy and no claim to rule of law when it comes to elections.
After 40 years of the same ruler, is change possible in Uganda?
I will never bet against a popular vote, no matter how hijacked I fear an election can be. So let's wait and see. My hopes and prayers are with the people of Uganda in this fateful 48 hours.
