20110218
Xinhua
KAMPALA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Presidential and parliamentary polls in Uganda opened on Friday in which 13.9 million Ugandans will choose a new president and members of parliament.

Eight candidates including incumbent President Yoweri Museveni are vying for the country's top job.

This is the second multiparty elections the East African country is holding after party politics was banned in 1980.

According to observers the major presidential contest is likely to be between Museveni and his former physician Kizza Besigye.

Museveni predicted that he would win by over 80 percent while his rival Besigye predicted that he would win by 60 percent.

The police and the Electoral Commission have asked the public to remain calm and avoid violence during the elections.

According to police, although the presidential and parliamentary election campaigns were generally peaceful compared to the previous ones in 2006 and 2001, the possibility of violence erupting can not be ruled out.

In the capital Kampala, police personnel are patrolling the streets in anticipation of violence.

Uganda is a landlocked country which borders Kenya to the east, Sudan to the north, the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, Rwanda to the southwest and Tanzania to the south.

The country is located across the Equator and enjoys a hot and wet climate throughout the year.

Its size is about 241, 038 square km and is a member of the East African Community, a regional grouping bringing together Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.

Uganda's capital city is Kampala, located on the shores of Lake Victoria, one of the largest fresh water bodies in the world.

The country has an estimated population of about 33 million people of which more than half are below the age of 18 years.

About 80 percent of the country's population depends on agriculture as the source of its livelihood.

Agriculture is the backbone of the country's economy although other sectors like tourism have started coming up.

The country in 2006 discovered commercially viable oil deposits in the western region.