Uganda elections: Museveni leads as rival claims victory

Uganda’s long-time President Yoweri Museveni has a clear lead in the presidential race following Thursdays vote, preliminary results show.

The country’s electoral commission has dismissed allegations of vote rigging, made by opposition candidate Bobi Wine, a former pop star.

But election monitors say confidence in the count has been damaged by a three-day internet outage.

Final results are expected to be confirmed on Saturday.

Dozens of people were killed during violence in the run-up to the election. Opposition politicians have also accused the government of harassment.

President Museveni, who has been in power for 35 years, is hoping for a sixth term.

The 76-year-old says he is standing for stability. Meanwhile Bobi Wine – the stage name for 38-year-old Robert Kyagulanyi – says he represents the younger generation in one of the world’s youngest countries, where the median age is 16.

Latest results

Based on provisional results from two-thirds of the polling stations, Mr Museveni has so far won 62% of the vote compared to Bobi Wine’s 30%, the electoral commission said.

Election commission chief Simon Byabakama said the vote had been peaceful, and called on Bobi Wine, who said some of his polling agents were arrested on Thursday, to make public the evidence for his fraud allegations.

Bobi Wine raises alarm

On Friday, as the results came in, Bobi Wine said that Ugandan soldiers had surrounded and breached his home.

“None of these military intruders is talking to us,” he said on Twitter. “We are in serious trouble.”

But a government spokesman’, Don Wanyama, accused him of “dramatising” the incident “to seek sympathy”.

“Bobi Wine at this moment is a very important person. It is the duty of the state of Uganda to ensure he is secure”, he said.

Internet shut-down

The opposition candidate believes the internet shutdown is being used to block communication and as a way of compromising the vote.

As well as being unable to get online, people have been having trouble sending text messages.

“Several of our phone numbers, including mine and my wife’s, have been switched off, and disconnected illegally.

I will be happy to share the videos of all the fraud and irregularities as soon as the internet is restored”, Bobi Wine said.

The electoral commission says only two polling stations in the country reported major irregularities and voting was cancelled in those locations.

Reports say there is tight security in the capital, Kampala, with soldiers and police patrolling the streets.

The EU, United Nations and several rights groups have previously raised concerns about the integrity of Uganda’s election.

But, aside from an African Union mission, there is currently no major international group monitoring the vote. Earlier this week the US – a major aid donor to Uganda, cancelled its diplomatic observer mission to the country saying that the majority of its staff had been denied permission to monitor polling sites.

 

 

 

 

BBC/Nneka Ukachukwu