Uganda’s electoral agency has revealed that President Yoweri Museveni has taken a strong lead in partial results from Thursday’s presidential election.
On Friday morning, the numbers that were announced placed Museveni in the lead with 76% of the votes, based on returns from 45% of the country’s polling stations.
Behind Museveni in the polls is opposition leader Bobi Wine with about 20%.
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On Thursday, Ugandans voted in a tense national election after an often violent campaign, with the 81-year-old seeking a seventh term in office.
Bobi Vine is a 43-year-old pop star-turned-politician who is claiming that there has been “massive” fraud during the election, considering the fact that it was held under an internet blackout.
Vine did not provide documentary proof to back his claims, and the authorities have yet to respond to his allegations.
In the late hours of Thursday, the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, which Vine spearheads, said the military and police had surrounded his house in the capital, Kampala, “effectively placing him and his wife under house arrest”.
“Security officers have unlawfully jumped over the perimeter fence and are now erecting tents within his compound,” the party posted on X. The authorities are yet to comment.
After the 2021 election, in which he claimed 35% of the vote, Wine was confined to his home by security forces for many days.
Voting on Thursday was delayed by up to four hours at many polling stations nationwide after ballot boxes arrived late and biometric voter verification machines malfunctioned, problems some observers linked to a network outage.
Although six other candidates are standing, the presidential contest is widely regarded as a two-horse race between incumbent Yoweri Museveni and opposition challenger Bobi Wine. Having won the past six elections, Museveni is reportedly expected to extend his rule.
Wine, who says he represents Uganda’s youthful population, has pledged to tackle corruption and enact sweeping reforms, while Museveni presents himself as the guarantor of stability and progress.
The campaign was marred by allegations of security force abuses against opposition supporters, which police deny. Internet access was suspended earlier in the week, and this is a move condemned by the UN.
