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Voting Begins in Uganda’s Presidential Election During Internet Shutdown and Delays
Voting faced delays and an internet shutdown amid heavy security as President Museveni seeks to extend his rule; 21.6 million registered voters are eligible, officials said.
- On Thursday, Uganda's presidential election experienced widespread delays and a days-long internet shutdown critics called anti-democratic, disrupting services including banking.
- Malfunctioning biometric voter identification machines forced the national electoral commission to instruct polling officers to use paper registration records, with polls scheduled to close at 4 p.m. Thursday.
- Umaru Mutyaba, polling agent, described long waits as `frustrating` at a Kampala station, while impatient polling crowds gathered Thursday and Ssemujju Nganda, opposition lawmaker, waited three hours.
- Heavy security, including military units deployed on the streets, and the suspension of civic groups, including That Group's office closure after interior ministry allegations, have raised transparency concerns as results must meet the constitutional 48-hour deadline.
- The election's stakes include Museveni's bid to extend a multi-decade presidency into a fifth decade; President Yoweri Museveni, 81, faces seven candidates including Robert Kyagulanyi, while Amnesty International cited a Nov. 28 rally repression.
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In Uganda, the presidential election has begun.
·Germany
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Uganda's opposition said on Thursday that the ongoing election vote was being deliberately delayed, with the country's internet shut down and police using harsh measures.
·Vilnius, Lithuania
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While the opposition is trying to prevent the President of the Republic, Yoweri Museveni, from carrying out a seventh term, the voting material "did not arrive in 99% of [vote offices]", denounced the Secretary-General of the National Unity Platform (NUP).
·Paris, France
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thepress.net+8 Reposted by 8 other sources
Uganda votes under internet blackout and polling delays
Ugandans found polling stations still not open hours after voting was due to start Thursday, as President Yoweri Museveni seeks to extend his 40-year rule amid an internet shutdown and a police crackdown on the opposition.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources96
Leaning Left38Leaning Right4Center26Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Left
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources lean Left
56% Left
L 56%
C 38%
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