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Message: [QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 40040, member: 636"] Electoral Commission officials defended their actions during the canceled Kawempe North voting exercise Thursday. Acting Secretary Richard Kamugisha told parliament members that election workers faced violent attacks at polling stations. Staff members fled when people threw stones at them during vote counting procedures. Kamugisha questioned what election workers should have done when facing physical danger. He asked lawmakers whether officials should have stayed and risked serious injury from angry crowds. Parliament committee members questioned the Commission about election problems and voter rights violations. Courts had ruled that violence prevented proper voting processes at multiple locations across the constituency. More than 16,000 voters could not cast ballots because of destroyed election materials and unsafe conditions. Fourteen polling stations experienced serious violence that damaged ballot boxes and voting machines. Several locations recorded zero percent returns after attackers destroyed official election documents. Committee members asked whether the Electoral Commission followed proper legal procedures during the disrupted election. Laws require election officials to suspend counting when violence occurs and protect voting materials from destruction. The High Court found that the Commission violated constitutional requirements for free and fair elections. Parliament seeks answers about electoral integrity and protecting voting rights. The Kawempe case raises questions about election security and institutional accountability. [/QUOTE]

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