Nalubowa has dismissed the results as a “mockery of democracy” and vowed to challenge them in court. “We protested right from the commencement of the recount exercise, because it was clear that the court process had been hijacked by the state,” she said.
Justine Nameere, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate, was on Sunday declared winner of the Masaka City Woman Member of Parliament seat following a three-day vote recount exercise.
The Masaka Chief Magistrate, Albert Asiimwe, announced that Nameere garnered 25,502 votes, surpassing her closest rival, Rose Nalubowa of the National Unity Platform (NUP), who scored 23,176 votes.
The recount exercise, which was prompted by Nameere’s petition, revealed numerical errors in the initial tally that had favored Nalubowa.
The Electoral Commission had initially declared Nalubowa the winner with 25,443 votes, but the recount reduced her total.
Nalubowa has dismissed the results as a “mockery of democracy” and vowed to challenge them in court. “We protested right from the commencement of the recount exercise, because it was clear that the court process had been hijacked by the state,” she said.
The recount exercise invalidated 1,358 votes due to inconsistencies in 10 ballot boxes, including missing ballot papers and broken seals. The final tally shows that 60,735 voters cast their ballots, excluding invalid votes.
