Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was declared the winner of a deeply contested election on Saturday, extending his rule to four decades after polls marked by violence, an internet shutdown and allegations of intimidation against the opposition.
The Electoral Commission said Museveni, 81, won 71.65 percent of the vote in Thursday’s election, defeating main challenger Bobi Wine, a 43-year-old musician-turned-politician, who secured 24.72 percent.
The result hands Museveni a seventh term in office since he seized power in 1986.
Wine rejected the outcome, calling the results “fake,” and said he was forced into hiding after security forces raided his home late Friday.
“I managed to escape from them,” he said in a post on X, adding that his wife and family remained under house arrest.
Police deny accusations
Police denied conducting a raid but acknowledged restricting access to Wine’s residence, citing security concerns.
Heavy police deployments were reported across the capital, Kampala, as authorities sought to deter protests.
African election observers said they found no direct evidence of ballot stuffing but raised alarm over arrests, abductions and intimidation targeting opposition figures and civil society.
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, leading observer missions from the African Union and regional blocs, said such actions had “instilled fear and eroded public trust” in the electoral process.
“Internet shutdown hampered election monitoring”
The government-imposed internet blackout, still in effect on Saturday, further fueled controversy.
Observers said the shutdown hampered election monitoring and deepened public suspicion, even as they described election day itself as largely peaceful.
Reports of election-related violence emerged from several regions, including claims by opposition lawmakers that security forces killed campaign workers—allegations police disputed, offering a sharply different account.
Museveni’s ruling National Resistance Movement also appeared set to dominate parliament, according to provisional results.
