Police had to fire bullets and tear gas among the voters during LC elections yesterday in order to claim down the situation. Electoral commission released a statement postponing of elections in some villages to be carried today.
Voting in some villages was disrupted as people’s names went missing on the voters register yet they claim to have registered while some claim that other people were left to vote yet their names weren’t on the register.In areas such as Jinja, some polling stations registers were torn and stolen by the voters and there were allegations that some candidates even carried people to vote for them. This forced police to fire bullets and tear gas among the voters in order to claim the situation. This chaos has been blamed on elections being conducted by voters making a queue behind their candidates
“The Electoral Commission congratulates all those Ugandans who turned up to exercise their right to vote for their leaders and those who have been elected.” read the statement released. On the other hand, it also noted that elections had to be called off in some electoral areas mainly because unregistered residents disrupted the exercise when they were turned away and therefore it “informs residents in the affected villages that the elections will be held tomorrow Wednesday 11th July 2018, starting at 7:00am.”
Please refer to the statement below;
EC Sets New Date for Polls in 635 Villages
The Electoral Commission appointed 10th July 2018 as polling date for election of Village Local Councils in all the 60,800 villages in Uganda. The polling process commenced this morning and has been successfully concluded. Preliminary reports from the districts indicate that in most areas, registered residents (voters) turned out in large numbers to elect their leaders at the village level. The Electoral Commission congratulates all those Ugandans who turned up to exercise their right to vote for their leaders and those who have been elected. The Commission established a Query/Complaints Desk at the Headquarters for purposes of receiving complaints and offering guidance to our officials and members of the general public. Some of the issues raised at the Desk include persons who did not register in the Village Residents’ Register but turned up with National Identity Cards, demanding to vote in the elections. These would not be allowed to vote as per the guidelines for this election; The Electoral Commission notes that elections had to be called off in some electoral areas mainly because unregistered residents disrupted the exercise when they were turned away. Available data from the field indicates that elections were not held in about 635 electoral areas in the following electoral regions:
| No. | Region | Villages where elections were not held |
| 1. | Albertine Region | 58 |
| 2. | Far Eastern Region | 15 |
| 3. | Kampala Region | 127 |
| 4. | Mid-west/Rwenzori | 33 |
| 5. | West Nile Region | 07 |
| 6. | Elgon Region | 12 |
| 7. | Central North Region | 42 |
| 8. | Central South Region | 24 |
| 9. | Northern Region | 56 |
| 10. | Kira Region | 230 |
| 11. | South West Region | 31 |
| 12. | Karamoja Region | 0 |
| Total Number of Villages: | 635 |
Arising from the above data, out of 60,799 villages, a total of 635 villages did not hold the elections, which reflects a 99% performance. The Electoral Commission informs residents in the affected villages that the elections will be held tomorrow Wednesday 11th July 2018, starting at 7:00am. The Electoral Commission appreciates Ugandan citizens for the smooth conduct of the elections. The Commission further appreciates the field election officials, the Uganda Police Force, and all other stakeholders for the smooth and peaceful conduct of the elections across the country.
