Uganda election: Facebook and Whatsapp blocked

                                                         Long queues formed outside polling stations

Social media has been blocked in Uganda on the day of presidential elections to stop people "telling lies", President Yoweri Museveni has said.

Mr Museveni, 71, is seeking to extend his 30-year rule, in a race widely seen as the tightest in the East African state's history.

His main rival Kizza Besigye was briefly detained.

A foreign observer group condemned the blockage of social media and lengthy delays in opening voting booths.

Interviewed on TV about social media, Mr Museveni said: "Some people misuse those pathways. You know how they misuse them - telling lies.

"If you want a right then use it properly."

Many people have found a way around the controversial restrictions, including opposition candidate Amama Mbabazi who tweeted advice on how to do it:

A VPN - a Virtual Private Network - gets round government censorship by redirecting your internet activity to a computer in a different country.

Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and mobile money services have been blocked.

Despite this, #UgandaDecides has been trending on Twitter.

Commonwealth election observer mission head Olusegun Obasanjo said: "It is ill advised if anyone has blocked social media".

Condemning the failure of voting stations to open on time, he said: "Delays of three, four, five and even six hours, especially in Kampala, are absolutely inexcusable and will not inspire trust and confidence in the system and the process".

The electoral commission said difficulties in transporting electoral materials caused the delays

Voters surround a policeman trying to keep hold of electral materials at a station in the outskirts of Kampala

The BBC's Catherine Byaruhanga in the capital, Kampala, reports that crowds were angry after waiting several hours to vote and police used teargas to disperse them.

Voting has been cancelled at at least two polling stations after clashes with police and accusations of fake ballots being distributed.

Mr Besigye, was arrested after he demanded access to a house in Kampala where he believed vote rigging was taking place, said Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda, spokesman for his FDC party.

He is among seven opposition candidates hoping to end Mr Museveni's 30-year rule.

A candidate needs to secure more than 50% of the vote to win outright and avoid a run-off with the second-ranked contender.

Ugandans are also voting in parliamentary and local elections.

Source: bbc news