Yoweri Museveni, has won the Ugandan election and his seventh term with more than 70% of the vote, state election authorities have said, amid an internet shutdown and claims of fraud by his opponent.
His opponent, a youthful musician known as Bobi Wine, condemned what he called “fake results” and alleged that members of polling staff were kidnapped, among other election irregularities. He called for peaceful protests to pressure the authorities to release what he called the “rightful results”.
Wine also alleged that he fled his home to escape arrest by security forces who raided his house on Friday, with his political party claiming earlier that he had been taken from his home in an army helicopter.
“Last night was very difficult at our home … The military and the police raided us. They switched off power and cut off some of our CCTV cameras,” Wine said in a post on X.
In an earlier statement, Ugandan police said that Wine had not been arrested, but that they were restricting the area to the public to prevent unrest.
Among the irregularities was the failure of biometric voter ID machines which delayed voting in cities – large bases of support for the political opposition. Pro-democracy activists had asked that the machines be used in elections to prevent any allegations of voter fraud and rigging.
Electoral officials then resorted to manual lists of voters, which Wine alleged allowed for “massive ballot stuffing”, as well as claims of favouritism to the incumbent’s party. Museveni endorsed the use of the manual voter register.
Despite the internet shutdown and allegations of fraud, the election largely passed with little incident, save a clash between police and opposition in central Uganda. Seven people died and three were injured after police fired in self-defence against opposition “goons”, police said, a claim disputed by MP Muwanga Kivumbi, who said security forces killed 10 people in his house.
Uganda is termed as “not free” by rights monitor Freedom House, which noted that while the country holds regular elections, they are not considered credible. Museveni, 81, has been the president of the country for 40 years, making him the third-longest-serving non-royal national leader in the world.
Uganda has not had a peaceful transition of power since it gained its independence from British colonialism six decades ago.
Museveni has rewritten Uganda’s laws to stay in power, including by removing term and age limits from the constitution. He has also jailed opposition opponents.
He has overseen a period of stability in Uganda, which has allowed the economy to grow, with growth forecasted to rise next year.
Wine wore a flak jacket and helmet due to fears over his safety, as he alleged security forces harassed him and his supporters including through the use of teargas.
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