UGANDA: Museveni takes early lead in presidential poll

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

KAMPALA, 24 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - President Yoweri Museveni took an early lead in Uganda’s first multiparty presidential and parliamentary elections in 26 years as the country’s electoral commission started announcing provisional results on Friday.

Having tallied 16 percent of the total votes cast, the commission said Museveni had won 60 percent while his closest challenger, Kizza Besigye, had won 37 percent.

Of the other three candidates, John Ssebaana Kizito of the Democratic Party had won 1.5 percent, Abed Bwanika who stood as an independent won 1 percent and Miria Obote of the Uganda People's Congress party won o.6 percent.

Early results in the parliamentary race showed Museveni’s party, the National Resistance Movement Organisation, winning most seats in the western region and Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) winning most seats in the war-ravaged northern region.

Analysts had predicted a tight race between Museveni, who is seeking another 5-year term after 20 years in power, and Besigye.

FDC officials disputed the results, saying there were massive irregularities. The ruling party, on the other hand, insisted Museveni would win with a bigger margin.

Observers said the playing field had not been level, but the process was largely transparent.

"The electoral process experienced a number of problems. The pre-election and campaign period was dominated by controversial accusations and court cases brought against Besigye," the head of the European Union election observers, Max Van den Berg, told reporters in the capital, Kampala.

"The current president and his party utilised state resources in support of their campaign," he added. "Therefore, a level playing field was not in place for these elections."

About 10.4 million Ugandans were eligible to vote for one of five presidential candidates, and hundreds of parliamentary candidates vying for 284 seats.

A presidential candidate needs at least 50 percent of votes cast to win. Should neither candidate get this percentage, a second round will be organised between the two leading candidates within 30 days.

Should Museveni, a 62-year old ex-guerrilla chief who seized power in a 1986 coup, win, he would become one of Africa’s longest-serving presidents.

Full results are expected late on Saturday.

[ENDS]