President Yoweri Museveni is currently enjoying an early lead in Uganda’s presidential election following the preliminary results officially released on Friday morning by the electoral commission.
With 29.4 percent of votes from Thursday’s ballot counted, Museveni had won 1,852,263 votes (63.9%) while main opposition candidate Bobi Wine had 821,874 (28.4%), the commission said just after 11.00 a.m. (0800 GMT).
Bobi Wine, a singer-turned-lawmaker who has galvanized young Ugandans with calls for political change, told a news conference on Friday he had filmed proof of fraud during voting and that he wanted a peaceful outcome to the vote.
He had said in a tweet early in the day that he was confident of victory despite “widespread fraud and violence’’.
Museveni, who has led the East African country with a population of nearly 46 million for 34 years, had not made any statement by noon. (0900 GMT).
On Wednesday, the government ordered an internet blackout until further notice, a day after banning all social media and messaging apps.
Wine and his supporters used Facebook to relay live coverage of his campaigns and news conference after he said many media outlets had declined to host him.
The election campaign was marred by deadly crackdowns by security forces on opposition candidates and their supporters.
Head of the electoral Commission, Simon Byabakama, assured the nation on live TV on Thursday evening after polls closed that results were arriving at the national tally centre despite the nationwide internet blackout.
“We are not using local internet to transmit our results, we are using our own system,’’ he said, without giving details of that system.
