Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has taken a strong lead in results from Thursday's presidential election, according to the electoral commission.
Figures announced on Friday afternoon put Museveni in front with 75% of the votes, based on returns from 60% of polling stations.
He is followed by opposition leader Bobi Wine on 21%. Wine's home in the capital, Kampala, has been surrounded by security forces, effectively placing him and his wife under house arrest, his National Unity Platform (NUP) said.
At least seven opposition supporters were killed in overnight violence in Butambala, about 55km (35 miles) south-west of Kampala, during clashes between opposition supporters and the police.
An internet blackout imposed earlier in the week means news of the violence is only emerging on Friday in Uganda, with differing accounts of what transpired.
Opposition MP Muwanga Kivumbi reported that soldiers and police fired tear gas and then live bullets at hundreds of people gathered around his residence following early results. Ten were killed inside my house, he stated.
Human rights activist Agather Atuhaire corroborated this assertion to Reuters news agency, while local police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe claimed that police acted in self-defence against a group of NUP goons attempting to attack a police station.
Local journalists noted that security forces have been blocking media access to Wine's home, raising concerns over pressing human rights issues.
The electoral chief assured that the vote counting had not been hindered by the internet blackout, adding that final results will be announced shortly.
As the election unfolds amidst heavy security and tension, the fate of the country's governance is hanging in the balance, with questions surrounding electoral integrity and citizen freedoms escalating.
