Lining behind candidates has exposed cheating by Opposition, says Museveni

President Museveni. FILE PHOTO

What you need to know:

  • The EC chairman said they had notified police to provide more security in for today’s poll repeat.

President Museveni says lining behind a candidate of one’s choice in the local council elections has exposed cheating by members of the Opposition in Uganda.
"Thanks Ugandans for putting to shame the enemies of Uganda. Uganda is un-stoppable. The lining behind candidates of one’s choice has exposed the cheating by the Opposition, especially in towns, using the laxity of the NRM officials, the police and the Electoral Commission," said Mr Museveni citing the example of Jinja East where he said 1400 ghost voters were reported in one of the parishes.

"Uganda belongs to Ugandans. The traitors and the parasites will never take it over," he added in a statement posted on his social media platforms.
The statement follows a decision by the Electoral Commission to cancel the elections in 633 villages after chaos ensued between voters of rival candidates on Tuesday.
The EC chairman, Justice Simon Byabakama, said most of the cancellations were in Kira (Busoga Region) and Kampala City with 230 and 127 cases, respectively.

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Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission (EC) has cancelled the Aldina Village LCI chairperson election after it was marred by chaos

“Seventy per cent of the disruptions were on account of registration issues. People who were not registered in the village registers came with national identity cards, demanding to vote in the elections. These would not be allowed to vote as per the guidelines for this election,” Justice Byabakama said on Tuesday at EC headquarters.

According to EC regulations, only voters on village register were allowed to vote. Many people who disagreed blocked any elections leading to running battles with authorities.
Voting was by lining up behind preferred candidates.


Voting successful
Ninety nine per cent of the 60,800 villages successfully elected their LC1 leaders yesterday, which the EC chairman described as a successful exercise.

Justice Byabakama said in other areas, the cause of chaos was indiscipline by both the voters and candidates.
“In some areas like Kisenyi (Kampala), voters grabbed the voters’ register and went away with it. Those areas will not vote tomorrow (Wednesday) because there are no records of who is supposed to vote,” he said.
Justice Byabakama also said they faced instances where candidates tied, but some refused to immediately repeat the voting process as per the election guidelines.

He said there were areas where the polling assistants were overwhelmed by the turn up, which caused delay and triggered impatience among the voters who turned chaotic.
The EC chairman said they had notified police to provide more security in for today’s poll repeat.
However, the repeat of the Local Council one elections in 633 villages was not any different from those held on the first day of the polls on Tuesday as many ended up chaotic.

However, Mr Museveni noted that his Party the National Resistance Movement had won more massively.
"The details will be provided. The Sub County of Kahanda (Kawanda), there are 40 villages. NRM won 36 and the NRM independents won the other four. Opposition zero. On this side of the Katonga River, the Goomba side, the NRM won in all the surrounding villages: Kisozi A, Kisozi B, Kajumiro, etc. It is only in Kirasi that elections were postponed because somebody had imported voters from other areas," Mr Museveni added.