KAMPALA, Uganda: Uganda’s presidential election was plagued by widespread delays Thursday in addition to a days-long Internet shutdown that has been criticized as an anti-democratic tactic in a country where the president has held office since 1986.
Some polling stations remained closed for up to four hours after the scheduled 7 a.m. start time due to “technical challenges,” according to the nation’s electoral commission, which asked polling officers to use paper registration records to ensure the difficulties did not “disenfranchise any voter.”
President Yoweri Museveni, 81, faces seven other candidates, including Robert Kyagulanyi, a musician-turned-politician best known as Bobi Wine, who is calling for political change.
The East African country of roughly 45 million people has 21.6 million registered voters. Polls are expected to close at 4 p.m. Thursday, according to the electoral commission. Results are constitutionally required to be announced in 48 hours.
Impatient crowds gathered outside polling stations expressing concerns over the delays Thursday morning. Umaru Mutyaba, a polling agent for a parliamentary candidate, said it was “frustrating” to be waiting outside a station in the capital Kampala.
“We can’t be standing here waiting to vote as if we have nothing else to do,” he said.
Wine alleged there was electoral fraud occurring, noting that biometric voter identification machines were not working at polling places and claiming there was “ballot stuffing.”
“Our leaders, including Deputy President for Western Region, arrested. Many of our polling agents and supervisors abducted, and others chased off polling stations,” Wine wrote in a post on social media platform X.
Museveni told journalists he was notfied biometric machines were inoperable at some stations and he supported the electoral body’s decision to revert to paper registration records. He did not comment on the allegation of fraud.
Ssemujju Nganda, a prominent opposition figure and lawmaker seeking reelection in Kira municipality, told The Associated Press he had been waiting in line to vote for three hours.
Nganda also noted biometric machines were malfunctioning, in addition to the late arrival of balloting materials, and predicted the delays likely would lead to apathy and low turnout in urban areas where the opposition has substantial support.
“It’s going to be chaos,” he said Thursday morning.
Nicholas Sengoba, an independent analyst and newspaper columnist, said delays to the start of voting in urban, opposition areas favored the ruling party.
Museveni serving Africa’s third-longest presidential term
Uganda has not witnessed a peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence from British colonial rule six decades ago.
Museveni has served the third-longest term of any African leader and is seeking to extend his rule into a fifth decade. Some critics say removing him through elections remains difficult, but the aging president’s authority has become increasingly dependent on the military led by his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Museveni and Wine are reprising their rivalry from the previous election in 2021, when Wine appealed to mostly young people in urban areas. With voter turnout of 59 percent, Wine secured 35 percent of the ballots against Museveni’s 58 percent, the president’s smallest vote share since his first electoral campaign three decades ago.
The lead-up to Thursday’s election produced concerns about transparency, the possibility of hereditary rule, military interference and opposition strategies to prevent vote tampering at polling stations.
Uganda’s Internet was shut down Tuesday by the government communications agency, which cited misinformation, electoral fraud and incitement of violence. The shutdown has affected the public and disrupted critical sectors such as banking.
Heavy security deployed
There has been heavy security leading up to voting, including military units deployed on the streets this week.
Amnesty International said security forces are engaging in a “brutal campaign of repression,” citing a Nov. 28 opposition rally in eastern Uganda where the military blocked exits and opened fire on supporters, killing one person.
Museveni urged voters to come out in large numbers during his final rally Tuesday.
“You go and vote, anybody who tries to interfere with your freedom will be crushed. I am telling you this. We are ready to put an end to this indiscipline,” he said.
The national electoral commission chairperson, Simon Byabakama, urged tolerance among Ugandans as they vote.
“Let us keep the peace that we have,” Byabakama said late Wednesday. “Let us be civil. Let us be courteous. Let’s be tolerant. Even if you know that this person does not support (your) candidate, please give him or her room or opportunity to go and exercise his or her constitutional right.”
Authorities also suspended the activities of several civic groups during the campaign season. That Group, a prominent media watchdog, closed its office Wednesday after the interior ministry alleged in a letter that the group was involved in activities “prejudicial to the security and laws of Uganda.”
Veteran opposition figure Kizza Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, remains in prison after he was charged with treason in February 2025.
![]()
Uganda’s presidential election experiences hours of delays at some polling stations
Short Url
https://arab.news/vbz7h
Uganda’s presidential election experiences hours of delays at some polling stations
- Some polling stations remained closed for up to four hours after the scheduled 7 a.m. start time due to “technical challenges“
- The East African country of roughly 45 million people has 21.6 million registered voters
Post-uprising polls won’t shake Nepal’s delicate India-China balance
NEW DELHI: Nepal votes next week for the first time since deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government, but analysts say any winner will likely maintain the delicate diplomatic balance between its two giant neighbors, India and China.
The landlocked Himalayan nation of 30 million people will elect a new government on March 5, six months after youth-led demonstrations brought down the administration of Marxist leader KP Sharma Oli.
Who will win is an open question, but Nepali journalist Sudheer Sharma said it will likely be “very difficult” for any single party to secure a majority, meaning longstanding political dynamics may continue.
“Nepal’s relation with India or China depends on what type of coalition it will be and who will be the dominant power,” said Sharma.
“The fundamentals of the relationship will not change, but some approaches might.”
Younger candidates are campaigning on promises to overhaul a stagnant economy and remove an aging political elite, while veteran politicians emphasize stability and security if returned to power.
Key investors and trading partners Beijing and New Delhi are watching closely, but analysts suggested that the new government will likely continue Katmandu’s pragmatic balancing act between the two powers, who compete for influence.
Nepal’s largest trading partner is India, accounting for 63 percent of imports, or $8.6 billion, followed by China at 13 percent, or $1.8 billion, according to World Bank figures.
‘Regular relationship’
India has long considered Hindu-majority Nepal as a traditional ally, with open borders along the plains.
“Some issues are there, some problems are there, but the regular relationship should be stable,” journalist Sharma said.
Retired Indian diplomat Rakesh Sood described New Delhi’s ties with Nepal as “extensive,” encompassing trade, tourism and hydropower.
Nepal is integrated with cross-border infrastructure in both directions: power lines from hydropower dams feed electricity to India, while China connects through its Belt and Road Initiative over the Himalayas via Tibet, and makes investments in airports and railways.
For nearly two decades, Nepal’s political landscape was dominated by veteran leaders — many of them former Maoist insurgents — who took turns in power since the end of a 10-year civil war in 2006.
Last September’s unrest erupted as youth protests against a brief social media ban, but was fueled by far wider anger at economic stagnation and corruption.
Over two days, 77 people were killed, scores were injured, and hundreds of buildings were set on fire.
Oli, 74, forced out by the uprising, is seeking a return to power for a potential fifth term as prime minister.
He had a fractious relationship with New Delhi — after taking office in 2024, he chose China for his first trip abroad, rather than the customary visit to India.
“In Nepal, the then leftist-led government had an uncomfortable relationship with India — and that was overthrown,” Sharma added.
‘Balance ties’
A new cohort of first-time candidates has emerged from the loosely organized Gen Z movement that helped drive the protests, young Nepalis seeking economic reform.
“Nepal’s leadership, even if at times seemingly inclined to lean toward one power or the other, aims to balance ties with India and China,” South Asia expert Michael Kugelman told AFP.
“It’s hard to imagine that changing, even if there is a new influx of younger people in politics.”
He suggested the status quo will likely remain, with China “comfortable with any type of political dynamic” in Katmandu, including one with a younger profile, as long as it remains open to Beijing.
“A government with youth leaders would likely not take positions on relations with India and China that diverge much with the previous government,” Kugelman said, suggesting that Nepali youth are “generally not hostile to China — even if some would prefer less Chinese influence.”
Both India and China have pumped in hundreds of millions of dollars in investments into Nepal, and both are backing voting preparations, with New Delhi sending vehicles to aid the Election Commission.
Kugelman said change may come if a new generation of politicians sweeps into power on an anti-corruption ticket and shakes up old practices of opaque funding for mega-projects.
“Young people in Nepal won’t support Chinese or Indian actions that aim to shape Nepal’s politics or put vast amounts of money in the hands of the government in ways that aren’t transparent,” he said.
ash/pjm/mjw
The landlocked Himalayan nation of 30 million people will elect a new government on March 5, six months after youth-led demonstrations brought down the administration of Marxist leader KP Sharma Oli.
Who will win is an open question, but Nepali journalist Sudheer Sharma said it will likely be “very difficult” for any single party to secure a majority, meaning longstanding political dynamics may continue.
“Nepal’s relation with India or China depends on what type of coalition it will be and who will be the dominant power,” said Sharma.
“The fundamentals of the relationship will not change, but some approaches might.”
Younger candidates are campaigning on promises to overhaul a stagnant economy and remove an aging political elite, while veteran politicians emphasize stability and security if returned to power.
Key investors and trading partners Beijing and New Delhi are watching closely, but analysts suggested that the new government will likely continue Katmandu’s pragmatic balancing act between the two powers, who compete for influence.
Nepal’s largest trading partner is India, accounting for 63 percent of imports, or $8.6 billion, followed by China at 13 percent, or $1.8 billion, according to World Bank figures.
‘Regular relationship’
India has long considered Hindu-majority Nepal as a traditional ally, with open borders along the plains.
“Some issues are there, some problems are there, but the regular relationship should be stable,” journalist Sharma said.
Retired Indian diplomat Rakesh Sood described New Delhi’s ties with Nepal as “extensive,” encompassing trade, tourism and hydropower.
Nepal is integrated with cross-border infrastructure in both directions: power lines from hydropower dams feed electricity to India, while China connects through its Belt and Road Initiative over the Himalayas via Tibet, and makes investments in airports and railways.
For nearly two decades, Nepal’s political landscape was dominated by veteran leaders — many of them former Maoist insurgents — who took turns in power since the end of a 10-year civil war in 2006.
Last September’s unrest erupted as youth protests against a brief social media ban, but was fueled by far wider anger at economic stagnation and corruption.
Over two days, 77 people were killed, scores were injured, and hundreds of buildings were set on fire.
Oli, 74, forced out by the uprising, is seeking a return to power for a potential fifth term as prime minister.
He had a fractious relationship with New Delhi — after taking office in 2024, he chose China for his first trip abroad, rather than the customary visit to India.
“In Nepal, the then leftist-led government had an uncomfortable relationship with India — and that was overthrown,” Sharma added.
‘Balance ties’
A new cohort of first-time candidates has emerged from the loosely organized Gen Z movement that helped drive the protests, young Nepalis seeking economic reform.
“Nepal’s leadership, even if at times seemingly inclined to lean toward one power or the other, aims to balance ties with India and China,” South Asia expert Michael Kugelman told AFP.
“It’s hard to imagine that changing, even if there is a new influx of younger people in politics.”
He suggested the status quo will likely remain, with China “comfortable with any type of political dynamic” in Katmandu, including one with a younger profile, as long as it remains open to Beijing.
“A government with youth leaders would likely not take positions on relations with India and China that diverge much with the previous government,” Kugelman said, suggesting that Nepali youth are “generally not hostile to China — even if some would prefer less Chinese influence.”
Both India and China have pumped in hundreds of millions of dollars in investments into Nepal, and both are backing voting preparations, with New Delhi sending vehicles to aid the Election Commission.
Kugelman said change may come if a new generation of politicians sweeps into power on an anti-corruption ticket and shakes up old practices of opaque funding for mega-projects.
“Young people in Nepal won’t support Chinese or Indian actions that aim to shape Nepal’s politics or put vast amounts of money in the hands of the government in ways that aren’t transparent,” he said.
ash/pjm/mjw
Latest updates
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.