Uganda election: opposition contests poll results

Uganda is headed for a Supreme Court battle over the results of the February 18 presidential poll as tensions there continue to climb. Amama Mbabazi’s lawyers managed to submit their petition to the Supreme Court Tuesday, just minutes before the deadline. The petition lays out 28 alleged irregularities including bribery, late arrival of voting materials, […]

Uganda is headed for a Supreme Court battle over the results of the February 18 presidential poll as tensions there continue to climb.
Amama Mbabazi’s lawyers managed to submit their petition to the Supreme Court Tuesday, just minutes before the deadline. The petition lays out 28 alleged irregularities including bribery, late arrival of voting materials, inconsistencies with voting cards and election papers the opposition says were pre-checked and stuffed into boxes.
Mbabazi finished a distant third in the February 18 poll. Results showed President Yoweri Museveni winning a fifth term in office with 60 percent of the vote.
 Second place finisher Kizza Besigye was not able to get a petition to the courts by the deadline. His camp says repeated arrests and detention by security forces made it impossible for Besigye to file a challenge.
Meanwhile, journalists in Uganda are coming under increasing pressure. Twice this week, local television stations have done live broadcasts of police loading journalists into cars and taking them away.