Museveni in the lead as poll bodys deadline inches closer

Museveni in the lead as poll bodys deadline inches closer

Ugandans will today, Saturday, know their President by 4PM as vote counting still continues.

The Electoral Commission (EC) is expected to announce the final results Saturday, as per the law, which stipulates that the winner must be declared 48 hours after voting is complete.

President Yoweri Museveni is still in the lead according to provisional results, with more than 60 % of votes counted so far.

His closest rival Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)’s Kizza Besigye follows second with more than 30% of votes counted so far.

This even as voting in Uganda‘s presidential election continued in several areas for the second day Friday after delays in delivering polling materials.

Voting in most polling stations closed at 1600 hours but in some areas it was extended to 1900 hours due to delays.

All sides contesting the election accuse each other of stoking tensions and assembling vigilante groups to intimidate rival candidates, and the leading opposition contenders predicted vote rigging.

Museveni is seeking to extend his three-decade rule. His main challenger, Kizza Besigye, has accused the government of rigging the election.

Besigye, who has been arrested dozens of times in the past, was arrested Friday marking his third arrest in four days.

Unlike previous arrests which were made in the full glare of the camera, Friday’s arrest was orchestrated systematically in an unusual operation that involved the military, crime prevention unit and regular police.

According to Police Director of Human Resources Development Andrew Kaweesi, Besigye was arrested for attempting to release election results.

Kaweesi said they had intelligence that Besigye was planning to release his own results in his scheduled press briefing saying the only body mandated by law to do so is the Electoral Commission (EC).

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uganda elections President Yoweri Museveni Besigye Ugandans FDC oppostion

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