Uganda’s Electoral Commission has released early provisional results from the presidential election, showing President Yoweri Museveni leading with 61.7 percent of the votes counted so far.
Electoral Commission chairperson Simon Mugenyi Byabakama reported that 23,049 valid votes have been tallied to date, alongside 796 invalid ballots, as the 81-year-old leader seeks to extend his nearly four decades in power.
Byabakama described the election process as “generally peaceful” and said that vote counting has concluded in many areas. He urged all candidates, their agents, and supporters to remain calm and tolerant as the declaration of final results begins.
The voting process, which took place amid an internet blackout and technical delays, has been closely watched both domestically and internationally. Museveni, Africa’s longest-serving leader, is aiming for another term in office, continuing his 40-year tenure that began in 1986.
“The counting of votes in many places has been concluded, and as the declaration of results gets under way, the commission wishes to call on all candidates, their agents, and supporters to keep calm and be tolerant,” Byabakama said in a statement following Monday’s election.
— ARISE TV
