Ugandan opposition leader has been arrested in Kampala, as the country wraps up the voting for the presidential election, which the opposition alleged has been rigged in favour of the incumbent Yoweri Museveni. Police said the house was a security facility and accused Besigye of trespassing on government property.
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The police did not respond to requests for comment.
Ugandans start casting votes on Thursday to decide whether to give Yoweri Museveni, in power for three decades, another term in office.
On the eve of the vote, Besigye told Reuters Museveni was “not going to go peacefully” and said his supporters may stage street protests to dispute the election outcome.
Godfrey Mutabazi of Uganda’s communications ministry said Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites crashed because they were overwhelmed by traffic of users discussing the election.
Voting was due to begin at 07h00 am (04h00 GMT) but the process was stalled for up to four hours in numerous polling stations where ballot boxes and papers did not arrive on time.
Police fired teargas and polling officers fled before any votes were cast.
In the capital Kampala, Thursday’s elections were disrupted by the late arrival of polling materials, angry demonstrations by frustrated voters, police use of tear gas and the brief arrest of an opposition candidate. For its part, the country’s Electoral Commission has promised a free and fair election.
Besigye’s supporters resisted the police, who took up positions outside the headquarters of the Forum for Democratic Change party.
He had earlier expressed fears of election malpractice especially in the areas of Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso which are considered FDC strongholds.
Mr Besigye was Mr Museveni’s personal physician during a bush war and served as deputy interior minister in Mr Museveni’s first Cabinet. He is one of Africa’s longest serving presidents, alongside Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, Jose Eduardo Dos Santos of Angola, and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe.
The Ugandan media is lively and, in many cases, admirably independent.
More than 15 million people are registered to vote, casting ballots in more than 28,000 polling stations for both a president and members of parliament, with 290 seats being contested by candidates from 29 political parties.
“He has to change things like health, hospitals and roads”, Karim said, as he waited for a polling station to open in Kampala. In order to win outright, a candidate should get more than 50 percent of the votes; if no one secures that many votes, a run-off will be warranted. “Nothing will discourage me”.
Museveni, 71, took power by force in 1986 and pulled Uganda out of years of chaos. He is widely credited with restoring peace and presiding over economic growth, and is a key US ally on security matters, especially in Somalia.
But some of Museveni’s critics describe him as a dictator and accuse him of wanting to rule for life.
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An opinion poll released in January showed the race tightening with Museveni garnering 51% support with Besigye at 32% and Mbabazi at 12%. He campaigned on a promise to run a more effective government, vowing to stem official corruption.
