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Yoweri Museveni has been declared the winner of the Ugandan presidential elections with 58.64% of the total votes, according to the country’s electoral commission.
The incumbent will now serve a sixth term as president of the East African nation after some of the worst acts of pre-election violence since taking office in 1986.
His main opposition, singer Bobi wine, has alleged vote manipulation throughout the process and has had strong support in urban centers where frustration with unemployment and corruption remains high. It obtained 3.48 million votes, or 34.8% of the total, according to the commission.
Opposition candidate Bobi Wine was attacked and arrested several times during the election campaign
Wine and other opposition candidates were often harassed, and more than 50 people were killed when security forces stopped the riots in November after their arrest.
Although Museveni remains in power, at least 15 of his cabinet ministers, including Vice President Edward Ssekandi, were eliminated, and many lost to candidates from Wine’s party, according to local media.
Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, claimed victory on Friday, saying he had video evidence of vote rigging and insisted that “all legal options are on the table” to challenge the election results.
He was beaten and arrested several times during the election campaign, but was never convicted of any charges. He later wore a bulletproof vest and said he feared for his life.
On Saturday, Wine said that his home in the capital Kampala had been surrounded by soldiers and that the military would not allow him to leave.
He has also claimed to have video evidence of election fraud, which he says he will share as soon as internet connections are restored in the country. The government ordered the internet shutdown the day before Thursday’s elections, and that blackout is still in effect.
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‘I survived gun attacks more than once’
Deputy army spokesman Deo Akiiki told Reuters that security agents were assessing threats to Wine if he left his home.
The monitoring of the elections has been affected by the detention of independent observers and the denial of accreditation of the members of the UN observation mission.
Tibor Nagy, the top US diplomat for Africa, tweeted on Saturday that “Uganda’s electoral process has been fundamentally flawed,” adding that “the US response depends on what the Ugandan government does now.”
The Ugandan media have reported that 56 candidates from the National Wine Unity Platform have won seats in parliamentary elections. The Forum for Democratic Change, previously the largest opposition party, has won 34 so far.
Analysis: Despite his triumph, the president will not be able to rest on his laurels
By John Sparks, Africa Correspondent
The outcome of the Ugandan presidential election will come as no surprise to many, even the most dedicated Bobi Wine supporters.
The Election Commission said 58% of registered voters had chosen President Yoweri Museveni, while 35% backed the young upstart, who fired up millions of younger voters during the campaign.
The commission said voter turnout was 52%.
Wine enjoys strong support in urban areas, but Museveni has retained the support of rural voters.
Yoweri Museveni has been in power since 1986. Stock Image
Importantly, Mr. Museveni, who has ruled the country since 1986, effectively controls state agencies, including the national broadcaster and the Electoral Commission itself, the body that organized and calculated the results.
Wine has already described the election as “a sham”, but it is important to note that it has obtained 3.5 million votes: a significant part of the electorate and his party, the National Unity Platform, have obtained good results in the parliamentary elections.
Twenty-five government ministers have lost their constituencies, including Vice President Edward Ssekandi.
He was so shocked by his defeat, according to local news reports, that he was admitted to the hospital in his home district on the outskirts of Kampala.
A Bobi Wine supporter carrying a campaign poster during the November protests
Ultimately, the poor performance at the polls by Museveni’s National Resistance Movement means little to the president himself.
He will continue to dominate the parliament in Uganda and will simply appoint new ministers from among the party members who have won.
The electorate has sent the 76-year-old woman a message of growing unhappiness, with growing numbers of people frustrated with the economy and lack of prospects for the future in a country whose population is growing at an exceptional rate.
Despite his victory, Museveni will not be able to rest on his laurels as more Ugandans demand change.
