Uganda’s incumbent President Yoweri Museveni has taken an early lead in the presidential poll, according to preliminary results released on Friday morning by the electoral umpire, African News Today has gathered.
Reuters reports that after 13.6% of votes were counted, Museveni had garnered 1,536,205 votes, or 65.0%, while main opposition candidate Bobi Wine got 647,146 (27.4%), the commission said.
The main opposition candidate, Wine, who has rallied young electorates with his message of change, in a tweet on his Twitter handle on Friday said he was optimistic of victory despite “widespread fraud and violence” during the poll.
President Museveni who had led the East African country for 34 years had yet to make a statement at the time of filing this report.
Recall that the government on Wednesday, ordered an internet blackout until further notice, a day after banning all social media and messaging apps.
The electoral commission boss, 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.
He said, “We are not using local internet to transmit our results, we are using our own system,” he said, without giving details of that system. “Don’t worry, results will come.”