WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on Uganda’s January 14 elections, which saw President Yoweri Museveni secure a 6th term in office amid government repression and allegations of vote rigging.
“Sadly, Uganda’s January 14th elections were yet another reminder that the Museveni regime has no interest in respecting the democratic aspirations of the Ugandan people. The pervasive harassment of opposition politicians, the obstruction of election observers, repeated abuses by security forces and internet blackouts, and allegations of vote rigging, have cast serious doubt on the credibility of the entire electoral process. At this juncture, I call on Ugandan authorities to cease their campaign of harassment against Uganda’s opposition and other independent voices, including leading Presidential contender Bobi Wine, who remains under house arrest.
“Faced with fresh evidence that President Museveni has no intention of charting a new, democratic course for his country, the United States and its international partners must now respond. A business-as-usual approach will not suffice. Towards that end, I look forward to working with the incoming Biden administration to clearly and unequivocally demonstrate to the Museveni regime that there will be consequences for those that repeatedly engage in the willful subversion of democracy. The United States must stand with the Ugandan people as they pursue their democratic aspirations.”
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