Uganda elections: Museveni declared winner with 58.4pc votes
The Ugandan electoral commission has declared incumbent President Yoweri Museveni winner of the election with 58.64 per cent of the votes cast.
His closes rival Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, came second with 34.83 per cent of the votes.
Museveni, 76, has won a sixth term after almost four decades in power. Wine, a former popstar, emerged as his main rival in a youthful country where most have known only one president.
Vote counting ended Saturday, with results from the Electoral Commission (EC) confirming the victory by Mr Museveni, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate, through a national broadcast.
This stretches his stay in office to 40 years.
“Having obtained the highest number of votes cast in his favour being more than 50 per cent at the election, EC declares Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as the president of Uganda,” EC chairperson Simon Byabakama disclosed.
The commission announced the results as a boosted armed forces’ presence remained visible, patrolling nearly deserted streets while national army choppers hovered and made low altitude maneuvers in some parts of a fortressed and muted country.
According to Justice Byabakama, Mr Museveni sealed victory with 5,851,037 million votes while Wine, the National Unity Platform’s candidate, trailed closest with 3,475,298 votes.
There was no explicit concession to NRM’s victory from opposition dissidents in a country that has been under a total internet shutdown since polls started January 14.
Fraud claims
The country’s electoral body, accused of electoral fraud by the opposition, became a target of sad commentary to the opposition after “irregularities” were sighted in presidential poll results, tailored with a cruel atmosphere towards government nonconformists leading to polls amid a roaring Covid-19 pandemic.
“My life is in danger having survived several assassination attempts and being attacked by soldiers at my home. Several of my supporters have been killed and thousands arbitrarily arrested,” Wine said Friday.
The United States (US), European Union (EU) and other international apparatus had earlier raised alarm over failed transparency in Uganda’s election.
“It is not possible for the US to meaningfully observe the conduct of Uganda’s elections at polling sites across the country,” US ambassador Natalie E Brown said Wednesday whilst announcing cancellation of a diplomatic observer mission of Uganda’s election.
Wine equally dismissed the results as early as Friday saying, “EC results are “fake”.
“EC chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama disdainfully ignored malpractices that occurred during elections, including those at the expense of armed forces but he is spinning elections in Gen Museveni’s favour,” he claimed.
“Battle not over”
Wine said he intends to release vivid evidence for his claims once internet connectivity is restored.
“Armed security officers gave people pre-ticked ballot papers in addition to intimidating voters by their presence and influencing the electorate to vote in favour of President Museveni,” he alleged before the EC chair challenged him “to show how results were released contrary to what was in 34,684 Result Declaration Forms.”
Wine, who results show he garnered some grassroots support since arriving on the political scene, told his backers that he was hell-bent towards pushing for an end to Mr Museveni’s 35 years at the helm of Uganda’s top leadership spot.
“Our battle is just beginning and far from over,” he remarked Friday, during a press conference at his home in Magere, Wakiso district.
In avoidance of any clear case of history, the run to this year’s election claimed over 60 people in the face of police and army brutality in a politically divided nation that now has to brace for five more years of Mr Museveni’s presidency.
