The police did not respond to requests for comment.
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He said Besigye was “apprehended for criminal trespass and later released on police bond” and escorted to his home.
Besigye, who challenged the 71-year-old Museveni unsuccessfully in three previous elections, has repeatedly insisted the election would not be free and fair and on Thursday accused the government of manipulating the vote. “Delays of three, four, five and even six hours, especially in Kampala, are absolutely inexcusable and will not inspire trust and confidence in the system and the process”, Obasanjo told reporters.
The start of the election was delayed in in some polling stations because of what the electoral commission said was a shortage of election materials.
The government also shut down access to social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
The commission said Museveni, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, garnered 1.36 million votes out of a total 2.32 million votes counted so far from 6,448 polling stations – less than a quarter of the 28,010 stations across the country.
Ugandans are voting in a presidential election today.
Police fired tear gas, leading polling officers to abandon the station with no votes cast.
One person was killed on Monday as demonstrators clashed with police after Besigye was briefly arrested. “But where it is not a free and fair election then we must fight for free and fair elections because that is the essence of our citizenship”. “It would also likely spark protests in FDC strongholds in Kampala”.
Nonetheless, Museveni – who is known for his folksy turns of phrase – and his National Resistance Movement maintain a strong support base among the country’s poorly educated, rural majority.
“We have reached every corner of our country and spoken to all sections of Ugandan society”, said the spokesman for the party, which had a vast election machinery at its disposal. The lines were full of mostly young people. He broke with the president in 1999, saying Museveni was no longer a democrat. “We can’t get out of our headquarters, because we don’t know how the situation will develop, we can’t take that risk, we want to stay safe”, Ssemujju said.
Earlier in the day, Social Media was temporarily switched off. Godfrey Mutabazi, Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission, a state owned agency, said social media was switched off for security purposes.
Sarah Jackson of Amnesty International said in a statement that it was “a blatant violation of Ugandans’ fundamental rights to freedom of expression and to seek and receive information”.
“It was security measure to avert lies that are being circulated on those platforms meant to incite violence and illegal declaration of election results”.
Initial results are expected as early as Saturday afternoon with the leading candidate requiring more than 50 percent of votes cast to avoid a second round run-off. Many waited under the hot sun at polling stations that were still not functioning at mid-day.
Many of those waiting said they would not leave without voting. “Nothing will discourage me”.
Ugandans voted on Thursday on the fate of President Yoweri Museveni, who is hoping for a fifth term after ruling the nation for the last 30 years.
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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 for his presidential ambitions in 2014.
