Ugandan election results counted amid tight security

Uganda's electoral commission said Friday preliminary results of a tense presidential election saw longtime President Yoweri Museveni leading challenger Bobi Wine and other candidates amid a government-ordered blackout.

The Independent Election Commission started announcing preliminary results across the country, but final results will be declared Saturday afternoon.

Opposition challenger Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, tweeted that the election was rigged and said “every legal option is on the table” to challenge the official results, including peaceful protests.

Elections results were not announced by district, further challenging attempts to monitor the vote.

While the votes were being counted, police patrolled the streets of the capital Kampala as fears of social unrest mounted.

The generational clash between the young singer-turned-lawmaker Wine and the 76-year-old president is widely watched in many African countries where booming youthful populations express frustration with longtime leaders amid the stresses of high unemployment and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government cut internet access in the East African country on the eve of the largely peaceful election day, disrupting everything from mobile money payments to medical care.

Museveni has led Uganda since 1986 and still has support among some in Uganda for bringing stability.