The contest for the LC II chairperson seat in Wobulenzi West Ward, Wobulenzi Town Council, resumes today after National Resistance Movement (NRM) and National Unity Platform (NUP) candidates remained deadlocked through five rounds of voting. The tightly contested race is between NRM candidate Morgan Bugoloobi Kalaso and NUP’s Ibrah Kaye.
On Monday, the designated polling day for LC II parish councils across the country, voters in Wobulenzi West failed to produce a winner after the two candidates tied at 21 votes each in four consecutive rounds. The four rounds involved the 42 village council members who were available to vote at the time.
The election was subsequently taken to a fifth round after two additional voters arrived, bringing the number of available voters to 44. However, the candidates again tied, this time with 22 votes each. Presiding Officer Noah Migaire subsequently postponed the election to Tuesday at 9 a.m. for a sixth attempt to break the deadlock. Both Kaye and Bugoloobi remained confident of victory after the postponement.
Kaye, however, called on the Electoral Commission to ensure transparency and fairness during the subsequent voting process. He alleged that he could have won the contest if his rival had not been allowed to bring in an unidentified voter. Campaigning reportedly intensified throughout the night, with both camps seeking to persuade supporters of their rival to switch allegiance. It remains to be seen whether the sixth round will finally produce a winner or whether the closely fought contest will require even more rounds of voting.
Luwero District Returning Officer Moses Rwanks Kiconco said voting would continue through repeated rounds until one of the candidates secured victory. Meanwhile, elections in the other 100 parishes in Luwero District ended peacefully, with the NRM securing the majority of the seats. According to the Electoral Commission, the NRM won 86 parish seats, while 10 went to independent candidates and four to the NUP-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
