EC Orders New Polls in Over 1,100 Villages Following Election Day Chaos

The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced that new polling will take place in 1,135 villages across Uganda. This decision comes after the initial Local Council I (LCI) elections, held on Tuesday, were significantly disrupted by violence, destruction of election materials, and disputes over voter registers.

Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi, the EC chairperson, stated on Wednesday that while voting was successfully completed in the vast majority of Uganda’s 71,214 villages (98.4%), the remaining 1,135 experienced failures in the electoral process. These failures stemmed from various issues, including resident interference, damaged registers, and discrepancies with voter lists.

Byabakama acknowledged that “some of the scenes witnessed… were ugly,” despite generally peaceful proceedings. He also clarified that allowing voters whose names were missing from registers to vote using national IDs was not an authorized EC practice.

For villages where registers were destroyed, fresh registration will commence on Thursday, July 30, 2026, with new polls scheduled for Saturday, August 1. In villages where registers remained intact despite disruptions, repeat elections will also be held on Saturday, August 1. Special provisions are in place for cases where nominated candidates have died, including potential fresh nominations and same-day polling.

The EC is also investigating allegations of collusion between election officials and individuals attempting to manipulate the election outcomes. Justice Byabakama urged residents to refrain from violence and allow the commission to conclude the electoral exercise peacefully.

The LCI elections, the first since 2018, saw significant public participation using the queue-voting method. The EC is committed to completing the process in all affected villages, reaffirming its dedication to public engagement.

Source: The Observer (Uganda)