{UAH} Yoweri Museveni, Uganda’s President, Wins a Widely Criticized Election - NYTimes.com

"Thirty years!" said a security guard who identified himself as Gordon. "Now he wants 35 years. It is too long!" 

He added: "I waited hours to vote yesterday, just for what? I went to vote knowing he will still be president." 

Elections observers from the European Union said the vote had been "eclipsed by an atmosphere of intimidation." 

"It was not transparent," said Eduard Kukan, the chief European observer. "It was not effective."

He continued, "From all discussion we hear, we can say the electoral commission lacks trust among everybody with which we spoke."

The election was overshadowed by irregularities. Many polling stations in Kampala, where many voters favor the opposition, did not receive ballots on time on Thursday, and voting started only hours before the stations were set to close. Other stations never received ballots, forcing the elections to continue into Friday in some districts. 

About one-fifth of stations reported receiving improperly sealed or unsealed ballots, the European Union observers said. 

"You find that, to the letter, those delays were in opposition areas," said Busingye Kabumba, a constitutional lawyer.

One-third of polling sites experienced either proxy voting or compromised privacy, or they lacked essential equipment. Only 10 polling stations observed by the European Union had detailed, printed results — a crucial feature in transparent elections, the observers said. 

"I praise the citizens of Uganda — how patient they have been, to wait for hours and hours in the hot sun, for the polling materials," said Jo Leinen, a senior European Union observer. "The citizens of Uganda deserve better."

Yoweri Museveni, Uganda's President, Wins a Widely Criticized Election - NYTimes.com 

Sincerely,

Brian M. Kwesiga