IGIHE

Category: Politics

  • Polls close in Niger amid tight security

    {Issoufou seeking re-election amid claims of political crackdown and threat of armed groups from neighbouring states.}

    Voting has closed in the presidential and parliamentary elections in Niger amid tight security as President Mahamadou Issoufou, 63, who is seeking another term in office, promised a “knockout” blow to his opponents.

    Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall, reporting from the capital Niamey, said most of the polling stations had closed and counting had started across the country as of 19:00 GMT on Sunday, with exceptions in areas where election materials arrived late.

    In one voting station in Niamey, counting started under the dark because of lack of electricity, he said.

    A total of 7.5 million people were eligible to vote during at 25,000 polling stations across the impoverished country.

    Top budget priority

    Niger is endowed with abundance of minerals including uranium, the country’s leading export. It ranks fourth among global producers after Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia.

    However, defence remains a top budget priority for the country on the edge of the Sahara Desert, with security a growing concern after attacks by armed groups from neighbouring Nigeria, Mali and Libya.

    The results of Sunday’s elections are expected within five days.

    A jailed candidate facing baby-trafficking charges was among the top contenders to challenge Issoufou for the country’s top job.

    Known as the “Zaki” or “lion” in Hausa, the majority language in Niger, Issoufou, a mathematician and mining engineer turned politician, faces a total of 14 rivals including a particularly tough challenge from two former prime ministers and an ex-president.

    Should he fail to snatch a first-round victory, his main rivals have struck a deal to back whoever scores highest among them in the hope of ditching the president.

    ‘Baby-trafficking scandal’

    One of the contenders heading the opposition pack is Hama Amadou, 66, who is campaigning from behind bars after being arrested in November on his return from exile in France over his alleged role in a baby-trafficking scandal.

    Amadou, a former premier and parliament speaker, heads the Nigerien Democratic Movement (NDM) whose members were tear-gassed by police earlier this month after gathering in their thousands to support the prisoner-candidate, known as “the Phoenix” for his ability to rise from the ashes.

    “Amadou’s supporters tell you that he has gained more popularity just because he is behind bars. They say he was already popular, but now more so,” Al Jazeera’s Vall said.

    “But if you talk to the government side they say he was given a lot of publicity and that he is wanted for a crime that here in Niger is punishable by many years in prison.”

    He said Issoufou believes he will win the elections in the first round.

    “The problem in this election is that since the beginning of the democratic process in Niger in 1993 … there has been many disruptions because of coups,” he said.

    He said another leading contender was opposition leader Seini Oumarou, who is described as more popular and more charismatic and the main challenger now for the president

    “He is not behind bars. He is free and spent the past few weeks campaigning for this election across Niger and he has a pedigree according to people here,” our correspondent said.

    Oumarou served as premier to Mamadou Tandja, the president who was overthrown by the army in 2010 after 10 years at the helm.

    Also among the favourites is Niger’s first-ever democratically elected president, Mahamane Ousmane, 66, who is making his fourth bid to step back into the job since his 1993 election.

    Source: Al Jazeera:[Polls close in Niger amid tight security->http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/polls-close-niger-tight-security-160221190542806.html]

  • EU Declines to Send Observers for Republic of Congo Vote

    {The European Union says it will not send observers for next month’s presidential election in Republic of Congo, citing doubts the process will be truly democratic.}

    Longtime President Denis Sassou N’Guesso is running for a new term in the March 20 election after voters in October approved revisions to term and age limits in the constitution that would have barred him. He first ruled the Central African country from 1979 to 1992 and returned to power in 1997.

    An EU statement released Sunday said recent electoral reforms, including the creation of a new electoral commission, were insufficient to guarantee transparency and inclusiveness.

    Government spokesman Thierry Moungalla said the EU was “free” not to send observers but that it would consequently be in no position to judge the vote.

    Source:ABC NEWS:[EU Declines to Send Observers for Republic of Congo Vote->http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/eu-declines-send-observers-republic-congo-vote-37099706]

  • International observers give Uganda elections mixed bill of health

    {INTERNATIONAL election observers have given the presidential election in Uganda last Thursday a mixed bill of health with the European Union and Commonwealth groups describing it as ‘’short of being free and fair’’ while African monitors praised the exercise.}

    Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni was declared a winner on Saturday, polling 60 per cent of the votes against 35 per cent of his closest contestant, Dr Kiiza Besigye of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).

    Dr Besigye, who has contested for presidency in vain since 2001, slammed the results as a fraud and appealed to the international community not to recognise them.

    The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM), who condemned the actions of the police prior to voting and on polling day, commended the voters’ enthusiasm to participate in the election process, citing their active involvement in the campaigns and the long hours they queued up waiting to vote.

    The EU observers said this enthusiasm in the democratic process, however, was eclipsed by an atmosphere of intimidation and further concluded that the Election Commission lacks the required independence and transparency, which explains why “it does not have the trust of the stakeholders.”

    The various election mission observer groups invited by the government to monitor the 2016 presidential and parliamentary polls yesterday issued their preliminary assessments of the Thursday polls, which offered a number of key pointers.

    “On Friday, while the national tally centre was announcing the preliminary results of the presidential polls and the political parties were still following tallying and collecting data from their agents in the field, the police stormed FDC’s party headquarters using tear gas and arrested Dr Besigye and the party’s leadership. This extensive use of police force was not acceptable,” notes the EU-EOM chief observer Eduard Kukan in a statement.

    The EU-EOM report also pointed out the intimidation and harassment of the opposition and its supporters by police, the conduct of state-owned Uganda Broadcasting Corporation by denying Opposition air space.

    While the polls were conducted in a generally peaceful and calm environment in the various parts of the country, Mr Kukan noted that the National Resistance Movement’s “domination of the political landscape distorted the fairness of the campaign.

    Speaking at the same event, the head of the European Parliament, Jo Leinen, who joined the EU-EOM to monitor the elections, observed that going back to two previous reports they had issued, “it was clear the same recommendations had been made, were not acted upon”.

    The head of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) mission, Mr Ashraf Gamal Rashed, and other African observer groups said security was adequately deployed to secure polling stations and their duties were performed in a proper manner.

    The East African Community (EAC) mission led by former Tanzanian president Mr Ali Hassan Mwinyi said they were still monitoring the process and would issue a final report of their assessment. Meanwhile, President Museveni celebrated extending his three decades in power with a walk with his cows, after an election rejected as fraudulent by the opposition and criticised by the international community.

    Pictures released by the Ugandan government showed a relaxed Museveni walking in the midst of his long-horn cattle and chatting with their herders, wielding a stick and wearing his trademark wide-brimmed hat.

    Another photograph showed the 71-year-old leader surrounded by his family. After the chaotic election, which returned him to a fifth term in office, Museveni said he planned to “go for my cross-country walk to exercise and then go to my cows.” Born in western Uganda to a cattle-rearing family, he has always said he plans to be a herder on his retirement.

    While Museveni succeeded to extend his rule of the east African country, over a dozen influential ministers lost their parliamentary seats. Among them were defense minister Crispus Kiyonga, who is spearheading regional efforts to end the political crisis in Burundi, and attorney general Fred Ruhindi. Despite the controversy, several African leaders extended their congratulations.

    Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta wished Museveni “every success as he serves his nation for another term”, while Burundi’s embattled President Pierre Nkurunziza offered his “warmest congratulations” for the “well-deserved re-election.”

    President Museveni was chosen by fellow leaders of the East African Community (EAC) last year as a key mediator for wrangling parties in Burundi.

    Source:Daily News:[International observers give Uganda elections mixed bill of health->http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/home-news/47198-international-observers-give-uganda-elections-mixed-bill-of-health]

  • CAR presidential election: Faustin Touadera declared winner

    CAR presidential election: Faustin Touadera declared winner

    {Former Prime Minister Faustin Touadera has been elected president of the Central African Republic in a run-off contest seen as an important step towards restoring peace.}

    Provisional results showed Mr Touadera received almost 63% of the votes, defeating his opponent Anicet Dologuele who won just over 37%.

    Mr Touadera’s campaign focused on restoring security.

    The country has been through a period of violent sectarian unrest.

    Prolonged bloodshed began after the seizure of power by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels in 2013.

    It is estimated that about a fifth of the population became either internally displaced or forced to flee abroad, leaving the country poverty stricken and divided along ethnic and religious lines.

    Mr Touadera, throughout the campaign, was portrayed by supporters as a peacemaker who can bridge the Christian-Muslim divide and boost the economy.

    At a press conference on Saturday night Mr Dologuele said he would honour the results and recognise Mr Touadera as president despite reservations about voting irregularities.

    Mr Touadera has vowed to encourage reconciliation and disarmament.
    “These elections are important but they are not the only step out of this crisis,” he said.

    “We have to create the conditions for dialogue between the two communities. We will do everything we can so that Central Africans can live together in Central African Republic.”

    Mr Touadera is a former maths professor who served as prime minister for Francois Bozize, the president of 10 years who was deposed in 2013.

    The election results have to be certified by the Constitutional Court to become final.

    Source:BBC:[CAR presidential election: Faustin Touadera declared winner->http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35623491]

  • Niger election: Voters to choose president in tense polls

    Niger election: Voters to choose president in tense polls

    {Voters in Niger are to go the polls in the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections.}

    President Mahamadou Issoufou is hoping to secure a second term in the impoverished West African nation.

    His main opposition rival, Hama Amadou, is currently behind bars accused of trafficking babies, a charge he strongly denies.

    The run-up to the vote has been marred by accusations of repression and a row over identification documents.

    The authorities have announced that roughly 1.5 million people without ID papers will be able to cast their ballots by having witnesses vouch for them, in a move that was condemned by opposition leaders.

    {{Crowded field}}

    Polling stations are due to open at about 08:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Sunday.

    Security is expected to be tight amid fears of jihadist attacks by groups based in neighbouring Nigeria, Mali and Libya.

    Meanwhile President Issoufou says his government foiled a coup plot in December.
    Niger election: Can a prisoner beat the president?

    One of the candidates in Sunday’s presidential election, Ibrahim Hamidou, was arrested for casting doubt upon December’s alleged coup but was released in January against the wishes of state prosecutors.

    Well-known figures among the crowded field of 15 presidential candidates also include former Prime Minister Hama Amadou, who denies trafficking babies from neighbouring Nigeria, and Mahamane Ousmane, Niger’s first democratically elected president.

    A run-off will be held if no candidate secures an outright victory on Sunday.

    The uranium-producing nation is seen as an important ally of Western powers in the fight against militant Islamists in the fragile Sahara region.

    However, the country is far from stable with corruption, food shortages and porous borders remaining serious problems.

    Source:BBC:[Niger election: Voters to choose president in tense polls->http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35624461]

  • Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Rwandan Ambassador Discuss Bilateral Ties

    Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Rwandan Ambassador Discuss Bilateral Ties

    {Russian Foreign Ministry said that Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Rwandan Ambassador to Russia Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya discussed current issues of bilateral relations between the two countries.}

    MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Rwandan Ambassador to Russia Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya discussed current issues of bilateral relations between the two countries, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

    “During the talks, [the sides] discussed a series of current issues of Russian-Rwandan relations… [They] confirmed the intention of Moscow and Kigali to deepen political dialogue and increase mutually beneficial cooperation in trade and economic, investment and humanitarian sectors,” the statement read.

    Moscow and Kigali established diplomatic relations in 1963. The countries enjoy good relations, and cooperate in political, military, education, human resource and cultural spheres. Russia also offers scholarships to Rwandan students and trains some police officers, according to the Rwandan embassy in Moscow.

    Rwandan Ambassador to Russia Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya

    Source:sputniknews:[Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Rwandan Ambassador Discuss Bilateral Ties
    ->http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160220/1035077470/russia-rwanda-bilateral-ties.html]

  • Mixed reactions as Museveni wins fifth presidential term

    Mixed reactions as Museveni wins fifth presidential term

    { {{Mwinyi urges country to reconsider term limits}}

    {{Closest rival says polls were fraudulent}}

    UGANDA’S President Yoweri Museveni has extended his three-decade rule after winning a fifth term, as regional observers urged the country to re-assess the essence of removal of presidential term limits in the electoral system.}

    The recommendations were made by the East African Community Observer Mission (EAC-OM) in Uganda led by former president Ali Hassan Mwinyi.

    The polls were, however, rejected as fraudulent by Museveni’s closest rival Mr Kizza Besigye, who was under house arrest. Museveni (71) won 60 per cent of the vote in the sometimes chaotic elections, far ahead of the 35 per cent garnered by detained opposition leader, whose house was surrounded by dozens of armed police in riot gear.

    “The commission declares Yoweri Kaguta Museveni the elected President of the Republic of Uganda,” Election Commission chief Badru Kiggundu said as he read out results. NRM spokesman Mike Sebalu said.

    “Behind their vague claims of change, there were no policies and no chance of progress — and people saw through these empty claims.”

    In a statement issued in Kampala yesterday, Mwinyi said: “It is important to note that the electoral system for presidential contest does not provide for term limits.”

    Alhaj Mwinyi also urged Uganda to consider introduction of a legal framework to regulate campaign financing to promote an equal playing field for all parties and candidates.

    “The absence of a legal requirement for disclosure of campaign income and expenditure makes accountability difficult and promotes negative influence of money in election competition,” he noted.

    It was also observed that youth groups allied to parties remained an issue of security concern; therefore legal mechanisms for controlling negative use of youth in the electoral process should be explored.

    The EAC-EOM appreciates that the February 2016 General Elections was one of the most competitive in the history of Uganda.

    He commended the people of Uganda for turning out in large numbers and peacefully participating in the electoral process and encouraged all stakeholders to pursue constitutional and legal reforms in order to improve the electoral process in the country.

    As the electoral process is still on-going, the EAC-EOM shall make final announcement at the end of the process. “I encourage the people of Uganda to remain calm and peaceful during the remaining time,” he said.

    Museveni once said leaders who “overstayed” in power were the root of Africa’s problems, but 30 years later has been elected for a fifth term.

    The veteran former rebel leader seized power in 1986, ending years of brutal and murderous rule under Idi Amin and Milton Obote.

    “Those who say, ‘let him go, let him go’, they need to know that this is not the right time,” Museveni said before the elections. “This old man who has saved the country, how do you want him to go?

    How can I go out of a banana plantation I have planted that has started bearing fruits?” Museveni successfully changed the constitution in 2005 abolishing a two-term limit.

    Other African leaders have since followed suit, changing or redefining laws to stay in power. Museveni is officially 71, although activists have previously accused him of lying about his age to circumvent the country’s laws imposing an age limit of 75 on presidential candidates.

    This will therefore be his last term in power, unless another change is made. But Museveni has made clear he has no intention of handing power to anybody, dismissing criticism from Western donors over graft and moves to grant sweeping powers to regulate civil society groups and non-governmental organisations. He has also shrugged off criticism of a tough anti-homosexuality law, later overturned on a technicality.

    Now entering his fourth decade in power, Museveni remains one of Africa’s most wily and tenacious rulers. He studied in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in the 1960s when the university acted as a kind of revolutionary finishing school for anti-colonialists. His wife Janet is a devout Christian, MP and cabinet minister.

    The promise of oil wealth from crude discovered beneath Lake Albert has yet to be realised. Museveni has welded state and party and underminedpolitical opposition so effectively that any serious challenge to either him or his NRM is impossible.

    A proud former military man, much of his authority still rests on his sway over the army which he uses to maintain control domestically and project power regionally.

    During Democratic Republic of Congo’s regional war between 1998-2003, Ugandan soldiers fought with their Rwandan allies. More recently Ugandan troops were instrumental in preventing a rebel takeover of the South Sudan capital, Juba, and shoring up Salva Kiir’s government after civil war began in late 2013.

    Uganda’s intervention in Somalia has been more warmly welcomed with its troops forming the backbone of an African Union mission that has battled the Al Qaeda-linked militants of Shebab since 2007.

    The Somalia intervention — unlike those in Congo and South Sudan — has won Museveni favour with foreign donors who in return give him a pass when it comes to domestic oppression and corruption.

    “His actions may not always be approved, but he has made Uganda a serious player in the region,” said Magnus Taylor, from the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.

    “While Uganda’s drift towards authoritarianism, coupled with the high-profile introduction of legislation to criminalise homosexuality and regulate the operational environment for NGOs may not win approval from Western actors, Museveni has embedded himself to the extent that the international community accepts his military contributions with one hand whilst wagging a censorious finger with the other,” Taylor said. Museveni, born in Rwakitura in western Uganda to a cattle-herding family, has always said he looks forward to retiring to be a cattle keeper.

    He specialises in rambling speeches peppered with folksy parables and military references that play better among poor — and poorly-educated — rural folk than among the urban population where the opposition finds its strongest support.

    But Uganda remains a predominantly rural country, in both demography and economy, and Museveni’s popularity there is still high.

    Source:Daily News:[Mixed reactions as Museveni wins fifth presidential term->http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/home-news/47176-mixed-reactions-as-museveni-wins-fifth-presidential-term]

  • Egypt’s Sisi promises laws to tackle police brutality

    Egypt’s Sisi promises laws to tackle police brutality

    {Pledge made after hundreds protest outside security headquarters in Cairo over fatal shooting of taxi driver by officer.}

    Egypt’s president said that he will introduce new laws to curb police abuse inside the country.

    Abdel Fattah el-Sisi urged the country’s interior minister on Friday to present proposals to parliament that hold any policemen who assault citizens accountable for their actions.

    The meeting came a day after a taxi driver was killed by a police officer in the street, prompting a protest in front of the Cairo Security Directorate [police headquarters] by hundreds of people.

    “This shows that members of the police are now out of control. It’s become easy for officers to use their weapons in the most unnecessary situations,” said Abdel Fattah Fayed, Al Jazeera’s editor of Egyptian affairs.

    The driver was Mohamed Ismail, a 24-year-old who was shot and killed by a police officer in El-Darb El-Ahmar, an impoverished district of Cairo.

    Ismail and the officer were reportedly in an argument before the officer pulled out his gun and shot Ismail in the head.

    A statement released by the Cairo Security Directorate stated that Ismail was killed “by mistake”. It also referred to the shooter as a “low-ranking” police officer.

    Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Al Youm reported that the officer was arrested and transported to a hospital in “critical condition” after a mob allegedly beat him and another person who was accompanying him that night.

    Witness account

    Fadel Ibrahim was at a nearby coffee shop when he heard gunfire. When he arrived, he saw the police officer lying on the ground with major wounds to his face and body.

    He initially thought the officer was dead.

    Speaking to Al Jazeera over the phone from Cairo, Ibrahim said: “I didn’t put my hand on his neck to feel his pulse, but he was in such poor shape that he looked like he wasn’t breathing. The beating was hysterical, I really thought he was dead.”

    Hundreds of people then surrounded the Security Directorate, which was minutes away, chanting anti-police slogans.

    An Arabic hashtag named after the district trended online on Thursday – pictures and videos of the demonstrations were circulated. An image of Ismail’s bleeding body on the ground was also shared online.

    While there are differing accounts on what prompted the argument, Ibrahim says the argument between Ismail and the officer was allegedly over a taxi fare.

    After both of them started cursing at each other, the officer shot Ismail.

    “He didn’t even shoot a bullet in the air, he shot the driver in the head,” Ibrahim said.

    A video on Friday showed two police officers talking to a crowd of demonstrators outside the directorate.

    “Are we in Iraq?” one officer asked the crowd. “This is a lawful country.”

    Egypt’s presidency released a statement saying that el-Sisi has given Magdi Abdel Ghaffar, the interior minister, 15 days to submit to parliament proposals for law amendments that tackle police abuses.

    Heat on police

    Last week, thousands of doctors and their supporters gathered outside the Egyptian Medical Syndicate in Cairo, calling for the prosecution of police officers who allegedly assaulted two doctors in Cairo’s Matariya hospital.

    The policemen involved were questioned about the assault and then released, setting off the protest and an emergency meeting among doctors.

    Furthermore, the country’s interior ministry has also denied allegations of its involvement in the death of Giulio Regeni, an Italian student whose body was found showing signs of torture, earlier this month.

    Fayed said that Egypt should treat the death of Mohamed Ismail as a political crisis.

    “Incidents like this will continue and may increase if these actions by the police and security forces go on without repercussions,” he said.

    In January, Egypt marked its fifth anniversary since the 2011 uprisings. Police brutality was among the reasons that drove Egyptians to Tahrir Square during the uprisings that led to the fall of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.

    Source:Al Jazeera:[Egypt’s Sisi promises laws to tackle police brutality->http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/egypt-sisi-promises-laws-tackle-police-brutality-160219184556871.html]

  • Congo orders arrest of key candidate in presidential race

    Congo orders arrest of key candidate in presidential race

    {Congolese authorities on Friday said they had ordered the arrest of a former army chief who is challenging President Denis Sassou Nguesso, in power for more than 30 years, in elections next month.}

    Speaking on state television, public prosecutor Andre Oko Ngakala said he had given instructions for the “immediate arrest… and questioning” of Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko.

    The instructions were given on the basis of an inquiry “into information about statements made by Mr. Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko that have been widely disseminated on the street and social networks,” he said, without giving immediate details.

    An AFP journalist reported that all the roads leading to Mokoko’s residence had been closed off by police.

    Congo’s military chief from 1987 to 1993, Mokoko is currently special representative of the African Union Commission in the neighbouring Central African Republic.

    Mokoko is a longtime ally of Sassou Nguesso, but on February 3 he announced his resignation as the president’s advisor on peace and security, a post he had held since 2005.

    On February 8, he announced plans to run in the March 20 election and challenge his former boss.

    Since February 13, when Mokoko held his first campaign rally, a video has been circulating on the Internet that appears to implicate him in an attempted coup d’etat.

    The video, which dates to the start of the last decade, has been denounced as a fraud by Mokoko’s campaign.

    Source:Daily Nation:[Congo orders arrest of key candidate in presidential race->http://www.nation.co.ke/news/africa/-/1066/3085200/-/80qtha/-/index.html]

  • Uganda:Opposition chief in house arrest as Museveni heads for victory

    Uganda:Opposition chief in house arrest as Museveni heads for victory

    {Tension was high in the capital Kampala on Friday as the electoral commission prepared to announce final results of the presidential elections Saturday.}

    Opposition leader Kizza Besigye and officials of his party were blocked from addressing a news conference, while another candidate, former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, had his house in the upmarket Sololo suburbs surrounded by military vehicles.

    Media houses were restricted to only two representatives at the national tallying centre, in Kampala’s Mandela Stadium as military and police vehicles patrolled the deserted streets.

    Voters in parts of Kampala where voting was delayed on Thursday were allowed to cast their ballots.

    Partial results released last evening by the electoral commission showed President Yoweri Museveni opening up a wide lead over his closest challenger, Dr Besigye.

    After tallying 4,547,051 votes from 12,465 polling stations, or 29.76 per cent of the registered voters, electoral commission Chairman Badru Kiggundu gave President Museveni 2,715,914 votes, while Dr Besigye, a four-time presidential contender and the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party candidate took 1,414,708, representing 32.72 per cent of the tallied votes.

    Independent Go Forward candidate John Patrick Amama Mbabazi had 74,127 votes (1.71 per cent).

    Valid votes were 4,323,521, while 223,530 were declared invalid, representing 4.92 per cent. Some 12,844 votes were termed spoilt.

    During the declaration of the early results at the National Tally Centre, Mr Kiggundu found himself on the defensive while trying to respond to endless questions over reports that Dr Besigye had been arrested.

    “He (Besigye) should know the status of the law, he is a Ugandan, and he does not live on Mars. If the issue is about announcing parallel results, let him answer for his lack of respect for the position of the law it’s not me,” said Mr Kiggundu.

    He added: “I can only do what belongs to czars and that’s outside czar’s limit. It’s not mine. There is no one that is allowed under the law to pronounce or announce or declare results by his or her own it must an institution and the law is supreme.”

    UNDER GUARD

    The Daily Monitor, an independent newspaper owned by the Nation Media Group, indicated that 25 districts out of 122 districts had turned in complete results, leaving only 97 outstanding.

    Police patrol cars and others carrying military police personnel were parked along the road leading to Mr Mbabazi’s home in Kololo, a high-end Kampala residential area.

    Police patrolled the area to ensure no suspicious activity took place at the residence and that the public did not gather at his gate.

    All cars using the road leading to Mr Mbabazi’s home were stopped and the drivers questioned.

    Pedestrians too, including journalists, were not spared. “What do you mean you are journalists, why do you come here yet the news is happening at Namboole? Is there a meeting at Amama’s home?” a police officer posed to journalists near the home.

    Mr Mbabazi speaking to journalists at his gate said he was not bothered by police presence.

    “It’s their business. They have not told me what they have put the road block for. I am not moved,” he said, speaking from his gate where had come to speak with a group of 15 people claiming to be his polling agents.

    He said he would address the nation on the developments in the country since the voting day but he did not indicate when.

    He condemned the clampdown on social media on the day of voting and after, describing it the “ hallmark of a dictatorship”. “Why would they do that? Social media is a platform for information sharing,” he said.

    Source:Daily Nation:[Opposition chief in house arrest as Museveni heads for victory->http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Opposition-chief-in-house-arrest-as-Museveni-heads-for-victory/-/1056/3084970/-/27djrk/-/index.html]