UGANDA – Presidential and parliamentary elections begun in Uganda on Thursday, with president Yoweri Museveni seeking a 7th term.

Polls opened at 7 am local time (0400GMT), scheduled to end at 4 pm (1300GMT).

81-year-old Museveni has ruled Uganda since 1986. He faces seven challengers, including 43-year-old opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, a popular reggae star-turned politician. He came second in the 2021 election.

Opposition candidate Bobi Wine said before the polls on Wednesday that the internet shutdown is being used to block communication and as a way of compromising the vote.

Election commission chief Simon Byabakama told local media outlets on Tuesday that he would declare the results within 48 hours of the close of polls, in accordance with the laws of the land.

“What the voters will say is what I will declare to the nation, it is them who determine the president of the country, not me” he said.

In parts of Kampala and surrounding areas where Anadolu reached, people formed long lines at polling stations, although voting was delayed, awaiting voting materials to arrive.

The East African country’s presidential election uses a two-round system, with a runoff held if no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote.

Uganda’s parliament has 556 members, including 353 directly elected lawmakers, 146 district woman representatives, 30 members from the army, youth, workers, older persons, and people with disabilities, and 27 ex officio members, including the vice-president and ministers, who cannot vote.

About 21.6 million voters have been registered for the election, up from 18.1 million in 2021.

The campaign period has included restrictions on rallies and media coverage, with security measures deployed nationwide.

Voting in the general election is taking place amid restrictions on public communications imposed for the election period.

According to a notification dated Tuesday, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) ordered a “temporary suspension” of public internet access and selected mobile services during the election period.

The regulator said the suspension, which began at 6 pm local time (1500GMT) on Tuesday, was intended to “safeguard public safety, critical national functions, and the operational integrity of communications infrastructure.”

In a post through US social media company X on Wednesday, the UCC said the move followed a recommendation from the Inter-Agency Security Committee and applied to all licensed operators.

“This measure was taken to mitigate the rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation, curb risks of electoral fraud, and prevent incitement to violence, all of which could undermine public order, national security and the integrity of the electoral process,” it added.

The UN human rights office said on Wednesday that the suspension of 10 non-governmental organizations and restrictions on internet access ahead of the elections are “deeply worrying.”

Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVK) Suspended

The use of Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVK) was suspended in some parts of the country following massive failures, according to the country’s electoral commission.

The returning officers in the affected areas will start using manual registers, the electoral commissioner Stephen Tashobya said at 09:00 am local time.

However, this hadn’t yet been communicated to several polling stations which were affected by the BVVK failures as of 10:30 am following the announcement, according to local reports.