{"id":46127,"date":"2021-01-16T20:22:01","date_gmt":"2021-01-16T19:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/?p=46127"},"modified":"2021-01-16T20:22:01","modified_gmt":"2021-01-16T19:22:01","slug":"gandas-museveni-extends-35-year-rule-with-disputed-election-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/gandas-museveni-extends-35-year-rule-with-disputed-election-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Uganda\u2019s Museveni Extends 35-Year Rule With Disputed Election win"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

Uganda\u2019s Yoweri Museveni has won a sixth term in office, extending his 35-year rule after an election which took place under heavy security and an internet blackout, and which his main rival said was marred by fraud and violence.<\/p>\n

The 76-year-old leader, who took power in 1986, is one of Africa\u2019s longest-serving presidents and was accused of crushing the opposition and media ahead of one of the most violent election campaigns in recent years.<\/p>\n

Museveni won with 58.6 per cent of votes, seeing off a stiff battle from the former ragga singer Bobi Wine, 38, whose turn to politics fired up a youthful population where three quarters are under 30 years old.<\/p>\n

Wine was under heavy guard at his home on the outskirts of Kampala as results were announced, with his party saying he was under \u201ceffective house arrest\u201d, while the government said it was merely providing him with security.<\/p>\n

The singer-turned-MP was among 10 opposition candidates and came second with 34.8 per cent of the votes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe electoral commission declares Yoweri Museveni\u2026 elected President of the Republic of Uganda,\u201d said election commission chairman Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama.<\/p>\n

He said turnout was 57.22 of almost 18 million registered voters.<\/p>\n

Byabakama urged the population to \u201cremain calm and accept the outcome of these elections\u201d while reminding those celebrating to be mindful of the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Security forces poured into the streets of Kampala after the announcement, with one soldier atop an armoured personnel carrier urging citizens to maintain social distancing as a helicopter buzzed ahead.<\/p>\n

Images on state television showed jubilant Museveni supporters in his home district waving flags and cheering, while soldiers in the capital helped marshall motorcycle drivers for a parade \u2014 handing them yellow vests and Museveni posters.<\/p>\n

The election took place after one of the most violent campaigns in years, with harassment and arrests of the opposition, attacks on the media and the deaths of at least 54 people.<\/p>\n

Wine alleged widespread fraud such as ballot box stuffing and said his party agents had in some places been beaten and chased away from polling stations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever is being declared is a complete sham, we reject it and we dissociate ourselves with it,\u201d he said on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u2013 \u2018We don\u2019t control them\u2019 \u2013
\nWine\u2019s home remained sealed off by soldiers and police on Saturday, after he told AFP Friday evening that security forces had breached the fence around it and he felt under \u201csiege\u201d.<\/p>\n

The army\u2019s deputy spokesman Deo Akiiki said the soldiers were there for \u201chis own security and the security of people around him\u201d.<\/p>\n

However the spokesman for Wine\u2019s National Unity Platform (NUP), Joel Ssenyonyi told AFP Bobi Wine \u201cis under effective house arrest\u201d.<\/p>

\r\n
Advertisement<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

\u201cPeople are angry because their vote has been stolen. They don\u2019t need me or Bobi Wine to tell them to get angry\u2026 Even we can\u2019t control them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe election was not fair,\u201d complained 31-year-old carpenter Dennis Agaba, disappointed at Wine\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n

However 35-year-old electrician Dennis Tusiime was happy with the result.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandfather told me about the old regimes,\u201d he said. \u201cHe is doing his work. I am very, very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tibor Nagy, the top US diplomat for Africa, said on Twitter that the vote was \u201cfundamentally flawed\u201d, citing the denial of accreditation to election observers and \u201cviolence and harassment of opposition figures\u201d.<\/p>\n

The internet has been down for four days, and government spokesman Ofwono Opondo said the measure was taken due to \u201cabuse, misuse, disinformation, fake news with the overall objective of undermining the integrity of the electoral process including the results\u2026 and possibly to cause destabilisation\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said the internet would be restored once the threat had passed, possibly on Monday morning.<\/p>\n

\u2013 35 years of Museveni \u2013<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Museveni has ruled Uganda without pause since seizing control in 1986, when he helped to end years of tyranny under Idi Amin and Milton Obote. He is one of Africa\u2019s longest-serving leaders.<\/p>\n

Once hailed for his commitment to good governance, the former rebel leader has crushed any opposition and tweaked the constitution to allow himself to run again and again.<\/p>\n

And for many in the country, where the average age is 16 and most have known only one president, Museveni\u2019s glory days are no longer relevant or sufficient.<\/p>\n

Wine, with his humble origins in a slum and popular songs about economic and social injustice, struck a chord with young people, but observers said the odds were stacked against him with Museveni\u2019s powerful grip on the state.<\/p>\n

His NUP is however on track to see his newly formed NUP become the main opposition party in parliament, notably winning eight of nine constituencies in the capital Kampala.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Uganda\u2019s Yoweri Museveni has won a sixth term in office, extending his 35-year rule after an election which took place under heavy security and an internet blackout, and which his main rival said was marred by fraud and violence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":46130,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[8032],"coauthors":[2391],"class_list":["post-46127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-news","tag-ugandas-museveni"],"yoast_head":"\nUganda\u2019s Museveni Extends 35-Year Rule With Disputed Election win - National Wire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Uganda\u2019s Yoweri Museveni has won a sixth term in office, extending his 35-year rule after an election which took place under heavy s\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/gandas-museveni-extends-35-year-rule-with-disputed-election-win\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Uganda\u2019s Museveni Extends 35-Year Rule With Disputed Election win - 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