Ugandans began voting on Thursday in a presidential election that pits
President Yoweri Museveni, in power for three decades, against a long-time
rival who said he did not believe the vote would be "free and fair."
All
sides contesting the election accuse each other of stoking tensions and
assembling vigilante groups, and the leading opposition candidates have
predicted vote rigging.
"Such
a day is highly undermined by the lack of free and fair elections,"
opposition candidate Kizza Besigye said as he cast his vote in Rukungiri
village in western Uganda. Besigye, 59, has run unsuccessfully in three
previous elections.
Museveni,
71, came to power in 1986 after waging a five-year guerrilla war and many
Ugandans credit him with providing relative peace and economic stability. He is
a staunch U.S. ally; Ugandan soldiers lead an African Union peacekeeping force
against Islamist fighters in Somalia.
But
many voters among Uganda's youthful population say they want change and blame
Museveni for not tackling endemic corruption or creating enough jobs.
"I
was a baby when Museveni came in. Now, even my own children are seeing that
same face. Is he the only one who can rule this country?" asked Uthman
Kalyango, 32.
His
polling station was among many in the capital, Kampala, which opened hours
after the official opening of polling at 7 am local time (0400 GMT), worrying
many voters.
"We
were almost ready to go away. We were getting tired," he said, adding that
he was supporting Besigye, like many young voters interviewed by Reuters in the
capital.