Museveni, 71, has pleased Western allies by sending in peacekeeping troops to hotspots such as Somalia.
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But the sharp-tongued populist is seen by many as a more credible opposition candidate than Museveni’s long-time ally Amama Mbabazi, 67, who was sacked from the post of prime minister over his presidential ambitions in 2014. The results are expected by Saturday, Badru Kiggundu, the Electoral Commission chairman said, with no exit polls to give an indication of the victor before then.
Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party said he was held after checking on reports of an illegal tally centre in his home district manned by the ruling National Resistance Movement party. “Besigye wanted to force his way inside the facility with media and ended up assaulting a police officer”, Onyango said.
One person was killed on Monday in clashes between Mr Besigye’s supporters and the security forces in the capital, Kampala. Police said the candidate was arrested because his route posed a security risk and had not been negotiated ahead of time.
Ugandans are also voting in parliamentary and local elections.
Museveni’s party was scathing about the arrest. They’re also dealing with a social media blackout orchestrated by the government.
Ugandan police briefly detained top presidential challenger Kizza Besigye after a day of polling Thursday marred by long delays and police firing tear gas to disperse furious voters in the capital Kampala. Some polling stations had up to seven hours delays.
In Jinja, a small town near the Nile River’s source on Lake Victoria, voters turned out early.
Many global observers are concerned that violence may occur during the elections.
But there was frustration as some stations remained closed more than four hours after the official 7 a.m. start.
The electoral commission extended the voting time because of the complications in transporting electoral materials which caused the delays.
Ibrahim Ayakiza was the first in line at the Mpumudde High School polling station on the outskirts of town.
“We have already started receiving results, which is a little bit in favour of the current government, and we are just waiting to see how things go”, he said.
Adding to the unease in the country, Twitter and Facebook appeared to be blocked on some Internet providers. Many waited under the hot sun to vote at polling stations that at midday were still not functioning.
“A lot of negativity, lies, are being beamed down to create unnecessary tension”, the police inspector general, Kale Kayihura, said of social media.
One of the providers, the telecommunications giant MTN, called the disruption a “temporary interference” on Twitter.
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.
Vote counting will begin on Thursday evening.
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The head of the Commonwealth Observer Group, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, called the long delays “absolutely inexcusable” and said they “will not inspire trust in the system and the process”.
