Museveni takes early lead in Uganda elections

In Summary

•This was from votes counted from 23.96 per cent of the total polling stations.

•Museveni had 1,536,205 (65.02%) while Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi wine, had 647,146 (27.39%).

Ugandan voters queue before casting their ballots in the presidential elections at a polling centre in Kampala, Uganda, January 14, 2021.
Ugandan voters queue before casting their ballots in the presidential elections at a polling centre in Kampala, Uganda, January 14, 2021.
Image: REUTERS

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has taken a significant early lead in the presidential race, according to preliminary results released by the electoral commission on Friday morning.

Museveni has garnered 1,536,205 votes (65.02%), while his main rival Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has 647,146 votes (27.39%) from 8,310 polling stations.

The country has a total of 34,684 polling stations.

Wine has alleged there was widespread fraud and violence during Thursday's poll but gave no details of his accusations.

Uganda's government has described the election as peaceful.

On Thursday, the chairman of Uganda's electoral commission, Simon Mugenyi Byabakama, hailed the fiercely contested presidential and parliamentary as a success.

At a news conference in the capital Kampala, he said Ugandans had turned up in large numbers and voted peacefully in spite of the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier ballot boxes arrived late at polling stations and biometric voter verification machines failed. But Mr Byabakama said these were just isolated incidents.

Wine had said some of his polling agents had been arrested.

He's challenging Museveni who's been in power for nearly 35 years.

Museveni said he would accept the result if there were no irregularities.

 

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