Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has won a seventh term in office, extending his 40-year rule, in an election marred by violence, intimidation, and an internet shutdown.
According to the Electoral Commission, Museveni, 81, secured 71.65% of the vote in Thursday’s election. His main challenger, opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine, 43, received 24.72% of the vote. Wine said he was in hiding after security forces raided his home on Friday night.
Wine described the results as “fake” and accused the government of targeting opposition supporters. “I managed to escape from them. My family remains under house arrest,” he said on social media.
There were reports of at least ten deaths linked to election-related violence, while police claimed some incidents involved attempts to attack tally centres. Observers from the African Union and regional bodies, including COMESA and IGAD, said they found no evidence of ballot stuffing but condemned reports of intimidation, arrests, and abductions, noting that these actions “instilled fear and eroded public trust in the electoral process.”
A heavy police presence was reported across the capital, Kampala, as authorities sought to prevent protests similar to those recently seen in neighbouring countries.
Museveni, a former guerrilla leader who seized power in 1986, has maintained tight control over the state and security apparatus and has historically crushed political opposition. His ruling National Resistance Movement also retained a commanding lead in parliamentary seats, according to provisional results.
