Uganda’s electoral commission has rubbished the country’s opposition allegations that the February 18 election results were rigged in favour of winner Yoweri Museveni.
Opposition leaders accused the commission’s officials of pre-ticking ballot papers and adjusting results to gift Museveni the victory.
Jotham Taremwa, a spokesman for the electoral commission, told Al Jazeera on Friday that his office had not received any official complaint over allegations that ballots had been tampered with.
“I never saw that, I never heard that, we have not received that complaint. So I thought there were enough checks and balances to ensure that nothing is done.”
On Tuesday, the electoral commission ruled that long-serving leader Yoweri Museveni had won a fifth term in the poll. It is a decision opposition supporters say they will not accept.
Kizza Besigye, Museveni’s main opposition rival, was arrested several times in the lead-up to voting and afterwards when he and his supporters attempted to protest the results. On Saturday, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party leader remained under house arrest.
Following the announcement of Museveni’s victory, the United Nations human rights office expressed concern over Uganda’s “tense” post-election situation.
