Uganda Latest News.
By Muheebwa Hillary.
Kampala, Uganda. (News Of The South) – Hearing of the court petition filed by former presidential candidate, challenging the presidential elections results, has started Monday at the Supreme Court. The presidential elections were held on February 18, 2016.
According to results released by the electoral commission, Yoweri Museveni received 5,971,872 votes and emerged victor with 60.6 percent while Amama Mbabazi was third, having received 136,519 votes representing 1.39 percent of the total votes cast. Kizza Besigye was second, having received 3,508,687 votes, representing 35.61 percent.
The respondents to the case are Yoweri Museveni, the electoral commission and the attorney general.
National Resistance Movement (NRM) has lined a team of 36 lawyers to defend its candidate. Mbabazi is represented by 60 lawyers. The Electoral Commission, which is the second respondent in the case, has hired four external lawyers to add to its legal team. The Attorney General, who is the third respondent in the case, is represented by seven lawyers led by attorney general Freddie Ruhindi.
At the pre-hearing conference earlier today, Mbabazi’s legal team introduced 15 new grounds to the original submission in Presidential election petition No. 1 of 2016. The original submission, filed on 1st March, had 28 grounds. The grounds presented in the amended petition include proof of voter bribery, use of public servants in political activities, interference with opposition activities and misuse of government resources.
A panel of nine judges, led by chief justice Bart Katureebe, is presiding over the case.
The Presidential Elections Act allows aggrieved candidates up to 10 days, after the declaration of the winner, to file a petition in the Supreme Court and thereafter the court “shall inquire into and determine the petition expeditiously and shall declare its findings not later than 30 days from the date the petition is filed.”
Section 59 (5) of the act, states: “After due inquiry the Supreme Court may dismiss the petition, declare which candidate was validly elected or annul the election.”
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