President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda on Saturday has been re-elected for a seventh term in office in an election characterized by violence and an internet shutdown.
Museveni, 81, won 71.65 per cent of the vote in Thursday’s election, in which at least 10 were killed and intimidation of the opposition and civil society.
He defeated a former singer-turned-politician, Bobi Wine, 43, who won 24.72 percent and said he was in hiding on Saturday after a raid by security forces on his home.
Wine has encountered daunting pressure since entering politics, including multiple arrests before his first run for the presidency in 2021.
African observers said arrests and abductions had “instilled fear”.
With this victory, will now extend his 40-year rule of the east African country.
The opposition leader stated his “complete rejection of the fake results” and said he was on the run after the raid on his home on Friday night.
“I want to confirm that I managed to escape from them,” Wine posted on X on Saturday. Currently, I am not at home, although my wife and other family members remain under house arrest.
“I know that these criminals are looking for me everywhere and I am trying my best to keep safe,” he added.
AFP journalists reported that there was a heavy police presence around the capital, Kampala, as security forces sought to prevent the sort of protests that have hit neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania in recent months.
Police denied they had raided Wine’s home but said they had “controlled access in areas we feel are security hotspots”, adding they believed the opposition leader was still at home.
“We have not necessarily denied people accessing him but we cannot tolerate instances where people use his residence to gather and… incite violence,” police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke told reporters.
