Uganda Vote Amid Succession Questions and Internet Blackout

Voting began on Thursday in Uganda’s presidential and parliamentary elections despite a days-long internet shutdown and operational delays, election officials and witnesses said.

Polling stations in several parts of the country were still not open hours after voting was due to start, with long lines and delays reported as election materials arrived late and biometric voter identification machines malfunctioned, witnesses told AFP. Security forces were deployed more heavily in Kampala and other towns to oversee the process.

President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for four decades, is seeking to extend his rule, while opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, widely known as Bobi Wine, has called for change among younger and disaffected voters. The internet blackout, imposed by authorities to prevent misinformation and “incitement to violence,” has drawn criticism from the United Nations, which called it “deeply worrying.”

Voters also cast ballots for more than 500 members of parliament, with turnout showing strong interest despite logistical problems. At a polling station in Jinja, some voters expressed frustration over the slow start. “The machines are not working, so we don’t know what’s going on,” said Katomgole Juma, an artisan waiting to vote in central Kampala, speaking to AFP correspondents.

The elections come amid ongoing debate over political succession and rights conditions, as the government has faced criticism over restrictions on civil society groups, arrests of opposition supporters and limitations on media access during the campaign.

Election officials said voting will close at 4 p.m. local time, with results expected within 48 hours.

SOURCE: AFP