Uganda’s long-serving President Yoweri Museveni has been declared the winner of the country’s presidential election, securing a seventh term in office despite strong opposition rejection, allegations of electoral malpractice, and a nationwide internet shutdown.
The Electoral Commission (EC) on Saturday announced that Museveni, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate, won the January 15 poll with 71.65 per cent of the vote, translating to about 7.9 million votes.
His closest challenger, opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu—popularly known as Bobi Wine of the National Unity Platform (NUP)—came second with 24.72 per cent, or approximately 2.7 million votes.
According to EC Chairperson Simon Byabakama, a total of 11,366,201 votes were cast, representing a voter turnout of 52.10 per cent of registered voters.
Uganda operates a two-round electoral system, which requires a candidate to secure at least 50 per cent plus one vote to win outright in the first round.
Other candidates trailed far behind. Forum for Democratic Change’s Nandala Mafabi garnered 209,039 votes, while Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation received 59,276. Frank Kabinga of the Revolutionary People’s Party obtained 45,959 votes, Robert Kasibande of the National Peasants Party 33,440, Munyagwa Sserunga of the Common Man’s Party 31,666, and Elton Mabirizi of the Conservative Party 23,458.
Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, last won re-election in January 2021, when he secured a sixth term.
The latest election was held under heavy security deployment and followed the suspension of internet access ordered ahead of polling day. Authorities said the shutdown was aimed at curbing misinformation and preventing violence.
However, Kyagulanyi and the NUP have rejected the outcome, describing the results as fraudulent and not reflective of events at polling stations across the country.
Leave a Reply