Long-time chief Yoweri Museveni was heading for a convincing win in Uganda’s presidential election with almost all votes counted on Saturday, though his essential rival Bobi Wine alleged widespread fraud.
With ballots from 91% of polling stations counted following Thursday’s election, Museveni had gained 5.6 million, or 58.9%, whereas essential opposition candidate Wine had 3.3 million votes (34.6%), the Electoral Commission mentioned simply after 12 p.m. (0900 GMT). Final outcomes have been anticipated later within the day.
Security personnel and police have been out in pressure patrolling the capital, Kampala, on Saturday. The authorities ordered the web shut down the day earlier than the election, and the blackout was nonetheless in place.
Wine, 38, had galvanised younger Ugandans together with his requires political change after 35 years of Museveni, 76, ruling the nation.
Security forces had sealed off a large perimeter round Wine’s sprawling compound on Saturday and advised worldwide journalists they weren’t permitted to enter, witnesses mentioned.
Luke Owoyesigyire, deputy spokesman for Kampala’s metropolitan police, mentioned he was unaware that reporters have been being blocked and would make checks, however was later unreachable. It was not instantly doable to succeed in Wine for remark.
The singer-turned-lawmaker mentioned on Friday that he was beneath siege and his life was in peril. Police mentioned that that they had merely boosted their deployment in his neighbourhood for his safety.
Wine, whose actual title is Robert Kyagulanyi, mentioned on Friday he had video proof of voting fraud, and would share the movies as quickly as web connections have been restored.
Electoral Commission Chairman Simon Byabakama mentioned on Friday that beneath Ugandan legislation, the burden of proof rested with Wine.
Reuters has not independently verified Wine’s claims.
The United States and the European Union didn’t deploy observer groups, however the U.S. State Department’s high diplomat for Africa, Tibor Nagy, mentioned in a tweet early on Saturday that the “electoral process has been fundamentally flawed”.
He cited fraud stories, denial of accreditation to observers, violence and harassment of opposition members, and the arrest of civil society activists.
The African Union and East African Community despatched observer groups to the election, however neither group of officers responded to requests for remark about doable irregularities.
Police recorded 42 election-related offences nationwide throughout voting and tallying up to now, police spokesman Fred Enanga mentioned on Friday night time on native NBS TV. Offences included assaults, voter bribery, and theft and harm of electoral supplies, he mentioned.
The run-up to Thursday’s election was extra violent than in earlier polls. Security forces cracked down on opposition candidates and their supporters throughout the marketing campaign, and greater than 50 individuals died in protests in November on one of many a number of events when Wine was arrested.
PARLIAMENTARY WINS
The authorities ordered an web blackout on Wednesday, the day earlier than polling, till additional discover. On Tuesday, it banned all social media and messaging apps.
Wine and his supporters used Facebook to relay reside protection of his marketing campaign occasions and information conferences after he mentioned many media shops had declined to host him.
In the parliamentary election, the place candidates have been vying for 529 seats, outcomes have been nonetheless coming in however Ugandan media reported that at the least 19 candidate from Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) had gained their races, whereas the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), beforehand the nation’s largest opposition social gathering, has up to now gained 17 seats.
The FDC gained 35 seats within the 2016 election, however the NUP had no seats within the earlier parliament – Wine was elected as an unbiased and joined the social gathering final 12 months.