Yoweri Museveni has been declared the winner of the presidential election, extending his rule beyond four decades. Meanwhile, the opposition candidate has reportedly gone into hiding.
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has secured a seventh term in office.
The Electoral Commission announced he won with more than 71.65% of the vote. His main challenger, best known as Bobi Wine, received 24.72%.
Earlier Wine said he had escaped a raid by security forces on his home and was in hiding in the country.
“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 wrote on social media.
Police denied the incident, but added it was there was “controlled access” for others trying to go into Wine’s property, to prevent people from using the premises to incite violence.
Delays and disruptions at polling stations
At age 81, Museveni extended his 40-year rule following an election marked by reports of at least 10 deaths and allegations of intimidation against the opposition and civil society.
Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu has condemned what he described as an unfair electoral process, marred by an internet shutdown, military deployments and the alleged abductions of his polling agents.
Electoral officials are also under scrutiny after biometric voter identification machines failed on Thursday, delaying voting in urban opposition strongholds such as Kampala.
With the machines down, polling staff switched to manual voter registers, a setback for pro-democracy activists who had pushed for biometrics to prevent rigging. The failures are expected to feature prominently in any legal challenges to the results.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar
DW News
