Everything remains peaceful after the elections. Strangely peaceful. Buses aren't running. Local taxis are nearly empty. People are just staying at home. Saturday's run was the quietest I've ever had. Church was nearly empty this morning.
Today the results will be officially announced. We continue to pray for peace. It looks like Museveni has the overwhelming majority but we are hearing story after story of terrible election day practices. There were soldiers (the army is controlled by Museveni) staring and intimidating as people marked their ballots so peoplewere fearful to vote their true choice. Ballot boxes were "stuffed" (meaning that people got stacks of blank ballots, marked their candidate over and over then deposited all in the boxes when they were in line to put the one they received on that day). It seems that practically no one was able to vote in the place that they had been told to go but the persistent went to other voting sites until they found where their name was registered. The phrase "bought their votes" is used freely and openly here. It is well known, and well received, that candidates were giving cash, household items, or everyones favorite, alcohol, in exchange for votes.
Besigye (the primary opposition) is quoted as saying that he will call for "street protests if the process is not free and fair." He is also quoted in a news conference Saturday saying "It's already very clear there were widespread malpractices in the electoral process."
Please keep praying for peace here in Uganda!
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