Yoweri Museveni wins Ugandan election as opponent condemns ‘fake result’ | Uganda
Yoweri Museveni won Uganda’s election and his seventh term with more than 70% of the vote, state election officials said, amid an internet shutdown and allegations of fraud by his rival.
His rival, a young musician known as Bobi Wine, condemned what he called “fake results” and alleged kidnapping of polling officials, among other election irregularities. He called for peaceful protests to pressure authorities to announce what he called “justifiable results.”
Wine also claimed that he fled his home to avoid arrest by security forces who raided his home on Friday, while his political party claimed he had previously been taken away from his home by a military helicopter.
Wine said in his post on
Uganda police had previously said in a statement that Wine was not arrested, but that they made the area open to the public to prevent unrest.
Irregularities included the malfunction of biometric voter identification machines, which delayed voting in cities; this relied on massive support from the political opposition. Pro-democracy activists had demanded the machines be used in the elections to prevent allegations of voter fraud and rigging.
Election officials then resorted to manual voter rolls, which contained allegations that Wine allowed “mass ballot stuffing” and favored the incumbent party. Museveni has approved the use of manual voter registration.
Despite internet shutdowns and allegations of fraud, the elections were largely peaceful apart from clashes between police and opposition in central Uganda. Seven people were killed and three people were injured when police opened fire in self-defense against opposition “scoundrels”. Police disputed the claim of MP Muwanga Kivumbi, who said security forces killed 10 people at his home.
Human rights watchdog Freedom House described Uganda as “not free” and noted that although the country holds regular elections, these elections are not seen as credible. Museveni, 81, has been the country’s president for 40 years, making him the world’s third longest-serving non-royal national leader.
Uganda has not experienced a peaceful transition of power since gaining independence from British colonialism six decades ago.
Museveni rewrote Ugandan laws to stay in power; This includes removing term and age limits from the constitution. He also imprisoned opposition dissidents.
He also oversaw a period of stability in Uganda that allowed the economy to grow, with growth forecast to pick up next year.
While Wine claimed that security forces harassed him and his supporters, including using tear gas, he wore a bulletproof vest and helmet due to fears for his safety.
