National Resistance Movement (NRM) Party candidate Brenda Asinde Suubi has been declared winner of Thursday’s Iganga District Woman MP by-election.

After several hours of waiting, Asinde was declared winner at 03:00Am on Friday morning by the Iganga District Returning Officer Ms Mercy Ataho.

In what happened to be a tight race, Asinde got a total of 43,197 votes while FDC’s Mariam Nantale got 24,077 votes. Independent candidates; Oliver Kwagala, Asha Babirye and Aziza Kakerewe garnered 1,212, 7,052 and 689 votes respectively.

According to the Returning Officer, votes from four out of the 382 polling stations, were cancelled over violence.

“We have cancelled four polling stations and cases are being handled by police. These include Nabitovu polling station in Nakigo sub county ,cancelled after the valid and invalid votes exceeded the number of registered voters at the polling station , Bupingo primary school polling station in ibulanku Sub County where polling was interrupted, ballot boxes with its content together with ballot papers , booklets were grabbed by un know persons,’’ Ms Ataho said.

“Another one is Bulubandi primary school polling station in Nakigo Sub County where a group of people disguised as voters raided the polling station, beat up the polling officials, grabbed the unused ballot papers, marked them, broke the seals of the ballot boxes and stuffed the box with marked ballot papers and Nakalama p/s M-Z polling station, we did not receive the results,’’ she said.

FDC candidate Mariam Nantale has however refused to concede defeat alleging that there was voter intimidation, ballot stuffing, and bribery during the by-election. She is yet to announce her next course of action.