Photo credit: the Guardian
Uganda’s presidential election was plagued by widespread delays on Thursday.
The Canadian Press reports that there was also a days-long internet shutdown that has been criticized as an anti-democratic tactic in a country where the president has held office since 1986.
Some polling stations remained closed for up to four hours after the scheduled 7 am start time due to “technical challenges,” according to the nation’s electoral commission, which asked polling officers to use paper registration records to ensure the difficulties did not “disenfranchise any voter.”
President Museveni, 81, faces seven other candidates, including Robert Kyagulanyi, a musician-turned-politician best known as Bob Wine, who is calling for political change.
The East African country of roughly 45 million people has 21.6 million registered voters. Polls were expected to close at 4 pm, but voting was extended one hour until 5 pm local time. Results are constitutionally required to be announced in 48 hours.
In the morning, impatient crowds gathered outside polling stations expressing concerns over the delays. Umaru Mutyaba, a polling agent for a parliamentary candidate, said it was “frustrating” to be waiting outside a station in the capital Kampala.
Wine alleged electoral fraud. He noted that biometric voter verification machines were not working at polling places and claimed that there was “ballot stuffing.”
Museveni told journalists he was notified that biometric machines weren’t working at some stations and that he supported the electoral ody’s direction to revert to paper registration records. He did not comment on allegations of fraud.
Uganda has not witnessed a peaceful transfer of power since independence from British colonial rule six decades ago.
AA reports that the incumbent President Yoweri Museveni is currently leading as the results are trickling in. He is followed by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, according to the electoral body.
The electoral body announced that according to the first results of the election trickling inat the centre, Museveni is leading in the polls by 61.31% of the votes followed by Wine with 27.9% of the total votes counted.
