Roundup: Uncertainty remains as Ugandan opposition reject poll results

Ugandan police on Monday arrested opposition leader Kizza Besigye as he attempted to get out of his house.

Besigye on Sunday called upon his supporters to follow him on Monday as he went to the Electoral Commission to collect the declaration results form for the presidential elections.

He rejected the results announced by the Electoral Commission, which said incumbent president Yoweri Museveni had won the Feb. 18 elections.

"The results of the presidential elections must be rejected by the international community. An international commission should be established to audit the results of the elections," said Besigye.

Besigye, who stood in the previous presidential elections in 2001, 2006 and 2011, said hundreds of people were unlawfully removed from the voters' register.

Police in a strong warning late on Sunday said it would not allow Besigye to go to the Electoral Commission, saying he did not alert it.

"Failure to comply will leave the police no option but to use necessary means to maintain law and order in accordance with the Constitution," police said.

The rejection of the results has created a new wave of uncertainty as the opposition are calling for peaceful demonstration while the military and police are heavily equipped to take on any demonstrator.

Besigye, Museveni's closest rival in the polls, said the youth just like in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, should come up and protest, noting that he himself is ready for the cause.

Amama Mbabazi, who was the second runner up in the election, called for people to remain calm as they investigate the irregularities on voting day which will determine their next move.

Foreign election observers described the elections as falling short of international standards.

The European Union (EU) said although the voters were enthusiastic about voting and expressed it by queuing before the opening of the polls, the country's Electoral Commission inexcusably delivered late voting materials in some parts of the country.

Eduard Kukan, EU Chief Observer, said Saturday although the voters expressed determination to cast their votes and wait for the election results, the ruling party National Resistance Movement dominated the political landscape.

The U.S. in a statement on Sunday said the elections were characterized by numerous irregularities.

Mark Toner, U.S. Department of State Deputy Spokesperson, said the delays in the delivery of voting materials, vote buying, blockage of social media sites and excessive use of force by the police, collectively undermine the integrity of the electoral process in the east African country.

It urged government to respect the rights and freedoms of its people and refrain from interference in those processes.

Museveni in a news conference held at his country home in western Uganda on Sunday dismissed the criticism by foreign observers.

Badru Kiggundu, head of the country's Electoral Commission, on Saturday although acknowledged that there are flaws in the electoral process, it is learning process that the country is going through.

Kiggundu, who is serving his last term, after 14 years at the helm of the electoral body, said there is no country on earth which conducts multiparty elections and comes out error free.

Owing to the violent experiences in the days to and on the election day, Kiggundu called on Ugandans to remain calm, noting that mistakes made in the current election provides lessons for the future elections.

"Elections can either tear or build. The output of any election can tear a country or can build a country. As Ugandans let's be prepared to exhibit more tolerance," Kiggundu said. Enditem