Uganda Elections: Main opposition candidate briefly detained by police

The main opposition candidate in Uganda’s presidential elections, Kizza Besigye, was briefly detained by police late Thursday afternoon and later released.

“He was released without charge and taken home,” said Ladislaus Rwakafuzi, one of the lawyers of the presidential candidate, who spoke to AFP.

Besigye was arrested at a house he suspected to be used as an illegal vote counting center managed by the ruling party, National Resistance Movement, (NRM) and the police in Naguru, a district of the North of Kampala, according to his party.

The United States has however condemned the detention of Kizza Besigye on election day, saying it called into question the government’s commitment to holding a free poll.

“The United States condemns the detention of opposition presidential candidate Kizza Besigye while voting and tallying is going on. Such an action calls into question Uganda’s commitment to a transparent and free election process, free from intimidation,” U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Voting has closed in many polling stations despite delays in delivering ballot papers to many centres in the morning. Counting and tallying of votes are on-going at some polling stations around the country.