KAMPALA, Jan. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- The Ugandan incumbent president is still in leading the other presidential candidates as the Feb. 23 general elections draw close, according to an opinion poll published here on Friday.

    According to the ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM), their candidate Yoweri Museveni is still in the lead with 67-75 percent support countrywide.

    The NRM spokesman Ofwono Opondo was quoted by local newspaper as saying that the party's research department in collaboration with professional consultants conducted a research countrywide and established that Museveni's support is about 75 percent.

    Opondo's comments came after an earlier opinion poll published on Thursday indicated that President Museveni was at 47 percent support countrywide followed by opposition candidate Kizza Besigyeat 31.9 percent.

    Going by this poll, Museveni was below the 51 percent mark needed for an outright win.

    "We appreciate Thursday's opinion poll results only in so far as it has acknowledged that Museveni is overall in the lead so far in this election campaign," he said.

    However, he noted that the party disagrees with what he called purported findings that if elections were held yesterday or today, Museveni would not or cannot score above 51 percent, and cannot win in the first round.

    "These opinion poll results have been calculated to show that candidate Museveni is weak, and to prepare the public mind and grounds for disagreements and rejection of the election results in future," he said, adding that "the constant false insinuations that the elections won't be free and fair also fall in this wider scheme to raise an election petition, which NRM is prepared for." Enditem