President Yoweri Museveni celebrated his massive victory in Uganda’s election on Sunday. He described the result as a clear testament to the enduring strength of his party, the National Resistance Movement, which has ruled the country for 40 years.
Speaking a day after official results confirmed his win, Museveni said the outcome offered “a good taste of the strength” of his party.
At 81, Museveni has maintained his grip on power by reshaping the rules of the game. Constitutional changes have eliminated term limits and age restrictions, while potential rivals have faced imprisonment or political sidelining.
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According to official figures, Museveni captured more than 71.6% of the vote, far ahead of his main challenger, Bobi Wine, Uganda’s most prominent opposition figure, who received 24.7%. Wine has dismissed the results as fraudulent.
“The opposition are lucky,” Museveni said, commenting on the relatively low voter turnout in Thursday’s election. “They have not seen our full strength.” Participation stood at 52%, marking the lowest turnout since Uganda returned to multiparty politics in 2006.
From his country residence in western Uganda, where supporters and dignitaries gathered for his first public address since the win, Museveni suggested that many nonvoters were actually supporters of his party.
Wine, a former musician whose birth name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, can pursue a legal challenge, though Ugandan courts have historically rejected opposition efforts to nullify Museveni’s victories while recommending reforms to the electoral system.
As Museveni prepares for a seventh term, edging closer to five decades in power, his backers point to the relative stability and safety that have made Uganda a haven for refugees from conflict zones across the region.
During his speech, Museveni accused opposition forces of inciting violence on election day and called on religious leaders to engage with youth, warning that some could be misled into unrest. He reportedly cited the deaths of at least seven supporters of a losing parliamentary candidate from Wine’s party, who were killed by police after attacking a polling station with machetes in Butambala district.
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“Some of the opposition are wrong but also terrorists,” he said, labeling Wine and others as “traitors.”
Wine, 43, has consistently denied such allegations, insisting that he embodies the aspirations of millions of young Ugandans seeking change after decades under the same leadership.
On Sunday, Wine posted videos on X showing what he claimed were instances of ballot stuffing and intimidation of his election agents ahead of voting. Authorities did not immediately respond to these claims.
The election was overshadowed by a multi-day internet shutdown and repeated failures of biometric voter machines, delaying voting in Kampala and other areas. Wine alleges that ballot manipulation occurred in constituencies considered strongholds of Museveni.
The malfunctioning biometric systems could form the basis of any legal challenge against the official results.
Security forces maintained a pervasive presence throughout the campaign, and Wine has said he and his supporters faced constant surveillance and harassment, including tear gas attacks. He even campaigned wearing a flak jacket and helmet for protection.
Museveni has not indicated when he might step down, and no major rivals exist within the upper ranks of his party. Veteran opposition leader Kizza Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, remains imprisoned on treason charges he says are politically motivated.
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Uganda has not experienced a peaceful transfer of presidential power since gaining independence from Britain six decades ago.
