KAMPALA, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Polls opened across Uganda on Thursday morning for local and city council elections, with tight security deployed nationwide.
Voters queued to cast ballots for thousands of candidates contesting positions in district, city, and village councils.
According to the Electoral Commission, Uganda's electoral body, more than 21 million Ugandans are eligible to elect district and city chairpersons, city lord mayors, and councillors across the country's 146 districts.
Voting began at 7:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) at more than 50,000 polling stations nationwide and is scheduled to end at 4:00 p.m. local time (1300 GMT).
Local media reported generally low voter turnout at many polling stations across the country.
Rachael Kawala, spokesperson for the Kampala Metropolitan Police, said in a statement that security agencies were deployed adequately to ensure public safety during and after the elections.
"Individuals planning to cause disruptions, violence, or engage in any unlawful acts are strongly warned to desist. Lawlessness will not be tolerated," Kawala said. "We therefore call upon the public to remain calm, peaceful, and cooperative throughout this period."
Uganda last week held general elections to elect the president, 353 directly elected members of parliament, and 146 district women representatives in parliament. ■