President Yoweri Museveni
KAMPALA, Jan 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Uganda’s longtime leader Yoweri Museveni has been re-elected for a sixth term amid allegations of fraud and lack of transparency around the vote count.
The country’s election commission said Museveni won 58.64% of the nearly 10 million ballots cast, while opposition leader Bobi Wine received 34.83% of the vote.
The results follow months of campaigning that was marred by deadly violence and heavy-handed state security responses to anti-Museveni protests, as well as the arrests of civil society members.
Wine a singer-turned-politician, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi — was put under house arrest Friday and remains holed up under heavy military guard.
Wine accused the electoral commission of vote-rigging, an allegation the agency has dismissed.
Ugandans voted in the poll on Thursday amid a government-ordered internet shutdown.
Wine had campaigned heavily on social media as some traditional outlets refused to include him in their election coverage.
The internet blackout has raised questions around the integrity of the vote count and also meant biometric machines failed to register ballots, forcing many polling stations to use manual voting and checks.
Before casting his ballot on Thursday, Wine addressed the media and complained that the majority of his polling agents across the country had been prevented from observing the election by police. Ugandan law guarantees that every candidate is allowed representation at polling locations.
Wine reiterated his calls for the United States and European Union to hold Museveni and his government “accountable to free and fair elections,” accusing the leader of forcing the country to “carry out elections in the dark” with his internet blackout.
Dozens of people were killed in the months running up to the vote, including 45 who died in protests in November alone, after Wine was arrested for allegedly breaking Covid-19 restrictions.
Wine’s lawyer, David Lewis Rubongoya, said Wine’s team were looking at all legal options to challenge the results once they are all released. — NNN-AGENCIES