Incumbent takes commanding lead in Ugandan election

President Yoweri Museveni has secured more than 76% of the vote, with early results in from nearly half of polling stations

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has taken an early lead in provisional results from Thursday’s election, according to figures announced by election officials. A win would extend the 81-year-old leader’s more than four-decade rule in the East African nation.

The election commission said early Friday that the count from 45% of polling stations shows Museveni has secured 76.25% of the vote, while his main rival, Bobi Wine, has received 19.85%.

After casting his ballot on Thursday, Museveni told reporters he expected to win 80% of the vote “if there’s no cheating.” In the 2021 election, he secured 59% against Bobi Wine’s 35%.

Wine, 43, a former pop star, alleged “massive ballot stuffing” and the abduction of opposition polling agents and supervisors in an X post on Thursday, amid an internet blackout on election day. On Monday, he threatened to call for protests if the election was “rigged.” 

The opposition leader’s party later said he had been placed under house arrest, with military and police surrounding his residence.

“Security officers have unlawfully jumped over the perimeter fence and are now erecting tents within his compound,” the National Unity Platform (NUP) wrote on X.

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Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said he was unaware of Wine being placed under house arrest, Reuters reported.

More than 1,600 international and regional observers, including representatives from the African Union, East African Community, European Union, the US, UK, and China, were accredited to monitor the election.

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Alexander Kurdyumov of Russia’s Central Election Commission, part of the observer mission, praised Ugandan election officials for striving “to ensure fair and transparent voting.” 

No incidents of violence have been reported. However, Ugandan human rights lawyer Agather Atuhaire claimed unrest erupted overnight in some areas, including Butambala, located about 55km (35 miles) southwest of the capital, Kampala. Lydia Tumushabe, a local police spokesperson, told Reuters that law enforcement fired in self-defense when opposition “goons” organized by Kivumbi attacked a police station, carrying machetes, axes, and boxes of matches. Tumushabe said there were fatalities and injuries but did not specify the number.