The electoral commission of Uganda is prepared to meet the legal challenges opposition presidential and parliamentary candidates plan to launch this week following the outcome of the February 18 general election, says Jotham Taremwa, spokesman for the electoral commission. Main opposition leader of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Kizza Besigye and independent candidate Patrick Amama Mbabazi dispute the results of the poll. They have signaled they would be going to court, citing voter irregularities and rigging they said led to incumbent President Yoweri Museveni’s victory. Uganda’s electoral law says challenges can be filed up to 10 days after results are announced.
The chairman of the electoral commission, Badru Kiggundu, declared Museveni winner of the presidential vote with 60.07 percent of the total vote cast, while Besigye came in second with 35.37 percent. Kiggundu insists the general election is credible, despite reports by some local and international poll observers who said the poll was held in intimidating circumstances and was neither free nor fair.
FDC chairman Mugisha Muntu told VOA initial evidence shows some of the poll results were manipulated. He says results on the declaration forms signed by all party representatives, which show the results at the polling stations, were different from those the electoral commission announced.Taremwa disagreed.
Full Article: Uganda Electoral Commission Ready for Opposition Legal Challenge.