KAMPALA, Uganda – Voters in Uganda on Friday had to opt between extending their president's 25-year appendage on noesis or connexion the anti-incumbent wave comprehensive continent and the Middle East and balloting Yoweri Museveni discover of office.
Opposition threats of street protests have raised the wager in the balloting — meet the ordinal multiparty election to be held in Uganda in 30 years. Though most observers expect Museveni to intend added term, the chair faces seven challengers.
"I am voting for change. We requirement change," said author Asiimwe, 40, a mart vendor. "I am not a delude to permit someone rule for 30 years."
Museveni's stiffest rivalry comes from a former ally and individualized physician, 54-year-old Kizza Besigye.
Besigye plans to release his possess account of results and is threatening street protests if the results are discover of line with his backers' expectations. Besigye insists that 25 eld after Museveni seized noesis as the nous of a rebel assemble Uganda is ready for an Egypt-style popular revolt.
Museveni this hebdomad promised to jail anyone who tries to spark unrest. He said that no digit crapper ingest extraconstitutional effectuation to verify power. "That is discover of the question," he said.
Polling stations were regular to open at 7 a.m. Ugandan time, though materials were delivered New to many stations in the capital, upsetting voters.
"We have been inactivity for hours, but they are so delayed," said voter parliamentarian Mwanja, a 35-year-old merchant voting in central Kampala. "The officials are so confused. They don't know what they are doing."
Police had to stabilize angry voters in whatever polling centers. One polling official, Timothy Walga, said voters had threatened hostility against workers because of the daylong delay.
About 14 million people are qualified to balloting for the statesmanly and parliamentary races. Many are championship Museveni, who is vague about his geezerhood and says he is 66 or 67, for a fourth term.
"Let me provide him digit more quantity and wager what he crapper do," said prince Bbaale, 40, a substance collector.
Security has been heightened around Kampala and at the nation's nearly 24,000 polling stations.
Beyond possibleness election violence, personnel and embassies warned of doable terrorist attacks. Last July match suicide bombings in Kampala claimed by the African militant assemble al-Shabab killed at least 76 people.
Police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba said Thursday night the status in the land had been mostly stabilize with only unaccompanied disturbances.
Besigye, the top challenger, has already called the election "fundamentally flawed," pointing to the incumbent's control of the electoral authorisation and the failure to provide newborn voters identity game as grounds that the chair module rig the vote.
Besigye, the candidate for the Inter-Party Cooperation coalition, lost to Museveni in 2001 and 2006, and failed to intend the results turned in court, despite grounds of distributed intimidation.
While previous election campaigns were marred by hostility against opposition candidates, the run-up to this election has been mostly free of intimidation.
This time, analysts say, Museveni has allowed the opposition to crusade more or inferior freely, potentially robbing them of a super sympathy-vote whatever received in the past. Observers feature Museveni has also utilised government funds on his crusade and to bribe voters. Museveni denies the allegations.
Bbaale, the substance collector, said that despite living conditions remaining stagnant, he supports Museveni for the peace and unchangeability he has brought the country.
"I pray to God that the digit that loses the election accepts finish peacefully," he said.
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