By Our Staff Writer 9^th-15^th Aug 2010

A Deepening Democracy Programme [DDP] funded report has concluded that Uganda’s February 2011 general elections will be violent. “There is a possibility of widespread violence if the electoral process is rigged and the final results differ greatly from what has been declared at the polling station”; says the report.

President Museveni’s support base has steadily declined from 1996 when he got a whopping 75.5% against Dr. Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere.  It then fell down to 69.4% in 2001, and finally to 59% in the last elections in 2006.  In both 2001 and 2006, Museveni was fiercely challenged for the presidency of Uganda by his personal bush war physician Dr. Kizza Besigye.  Museveni and Besigye fell out in 1999 after Besigye launched a scathing attack on Museveni’s Movement system of governance; calling it corrupt, inherently undemocratic, and totally incorrigible.

Recently, a donor funded poll predicted a re-run in the 2011 elections because, the poll said, “…it was unlikely that any one candidate could score the required 51%” to win outright.  It is feared that political violence could break out in the run up to, during, or after the elections because “…the key stakeholders have failed to agree on the contentious issues”; says the report.

The major political disagreements, the DDP report says, include the constant dispersal of political rallies organised by opposition political parties and limitations to their freedoms.  It also says the government has failed to address the concerns of the opposition like enacting electoral reforms that would have gone a long way in ensuring free and fair elections.

Dr. Kizza Besigye, the Forum for Democratic Change party President, in a speech read for him by Dr Frank Nabwiso, said, “…the current government should not expect a smooth road to and after the 2011 elections unless it constitutes a roundtable conference for leaders of all major parties to agree on major political reforms”.

He also warned of chaos if electoral reforms proposed by the IPC are not addressed, if illegal security and paramilitary groups are not disbanded, and if the Director of Public Prosecutions fails to prosecute those who violate basic human rights of Ugandans.