Millions of Ugandans began to vote at 7:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Thursday in a referendum to decide on whether to return to multi-party politics or retain the Movement system of governance as stipulated in the 1995 Constitution.

Victoria Segujja, a lady about sixty, at the Banda polling station in a suburb of Kampala told Xinhua that she had supported the multiparty system to replace the Movement system which has governed Uganda since 1986.

But she said she did not know what the new system will bring to Ugandans.

Xinhua saw several people were waiting at the polling station to use their right to choice the political system for their future country.

The one-day referendum will close at 5 p.m. (1400 GMT) and the results are expected to be announced within 48 hours.

According to the Electoral Commission (EC), 8,542,230 people have been registered to vote at 17,000 polling stations across the east African country.

Close to 500 observers will monitor the referendum. Among them, 130 observers are from the United States, Britain, India, Algeria, Egypt, Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania and South Africa.

(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2005)