Uganda’s Museveni declared winner of presidential election

The Uganda Electoral Commission has declared incumbent Yoweri Museveni the winner of the 2021 Ugandan presidential election.

Mr Museveni of the National Resistance Movement, in the controversial election which started on Thursday and ended on Saturday, after two days of vote counts, garnered over 5 million (58.64%) of the 9.9 million valid votes cast to sink other nine contenders.

His closest rival, Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) of National Unity Party, had 34.83% of the total votes cast 34,684 PUs across the country.

“Therefore, having obtained the highest number of votes cast in this election and the votes cast in his favour being over 50% of the valid votes, the electoral commission declares Yoweri Museveni…elected president of the republic of Uganda,” the election commission chairman, Simon Byabakama, said in a televised news conference.

Mr Byabakama pegged the number of invalid votes at a little above 381 thousand out of the 10.3 million votes cast for all presidential candidates.

Alleged electoral fraud

The NUP candidate, on his Twitter handle, alleged the country’s electoral commision conspired with Mr Museveni to rig the election after shutting Uganda internet.

“Conspiracy by the dictator & his biased Electoral Commission is in a new phase. A plot to rig is set, internet is completely shut down & media is censored. However, the pple of uganda are firm and nothing will stop them from ending this oppresive regime. #WeAreRemovingADictator,” Mr Kyagulanyi said on Thursday.

ALSO READ: #UgandaDecides: Museveni takes early lead over Bobi Wine as vote count continues

He urged the citizens to reject the result and declared himself winner of the election in an interview with CNN after the result was announced.

The Uganda 2021 presidential election has been tainted by instances of repeated attacks on the opposition by the Museveni government.

Asides laying siege around the NUP presidential candidate’s house on the election, Mr Kyagulanyi’s wife and son were harrased by police officers as shown in a video circulated on social media.

There were also reports of denial of accreditation of some foreign and local observers and arrest of activists.