Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been declared winner for a sixth term in office, amidst allegations of election fraud by former singer Bobi Wine – his main opposition in the election.
The nation’s electoral commission announced on Saturday that Museveni received 58% of the votes while his rival Wine got 34% of the votes.
Bobi Wine, 38, who was just a child when Museveni came into power back in 1986, alleges that the vote was rigged, as election officials face questions over how results were tallied amid an Internet blackout.
Ahead of Thursday’s election, Museveni’s government shut down social media outlets — including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter— in Uganda. It also sent military vehicles into the streets.
Soldiers and police were out in force in the capital of Kampala on Saturday. In an interview with NPR, Wine said security forces were not allowing anyone in or out of his home, and he urged Ugandans to reject the results.
In a series of tweets, the top U.S. diplomat to Africa, Tibor Nagy, called Uganda’s electoral process “fundamentally flawed,” citing “authorities’ denial of accreditation to election observers, violence and harassment of opposition figures” and the arrest of civil service organization workers.
