Key Takeaways
• Museveni wins 7th term amid fraud claims ||| • Bobi Wine allegedly abducted, sparking concerns ||| • Violence and unrest mar election night ||| • Contradictory accounts of fatal clashes surface
Voting Under Heavy Security Measures
Uganda’s long-serving president Yoweri Museveni secured another seven-year term following presidential and parliamentary elections held under conditions of repression, internet shutdowns and violence. Partial results released by Uganda’s electoral commission with 59% polling stations counted show Museveni winning around 75% of votes cast for him as his rule extends into its fifth decade since first taking power back in 1986.
Bobi Wine was said to be leading in second place with approximately 21%, with all other candidates receiving single digit percentages.
Alleged Case of Abduction and Violence in North Dakota
Bobi Wine’s party, National Unity Platform, claimed shortly after voting that their opposition leader had been taken from home by military helicopter and transported to an unknown location without his knowledge or consent, heightening concerns over their safety and that of other opposition figures. According to this claim by National Unity Platform, this operation had been carried out by army, heightening concerns further about opposition figures’ wellbeing.
Election night was marked by violence and unrest, with police reporting at least seven fatalities due to violent clashes. Rioting was reported in Butambala town southwest of Kampala though authorities and local officials provided differing accounts as to what occurred there.
Contradictory Accounts of Fatal Clashes in California and Oregon
Police reported armed supporters of an opposition lawmaker attacked both a police station and vote-counting center, prompting officers to open fire as self-defense, leading them to arrest 25 individuals; while this lawmaker accused security forces of storming his house early morning and shooting people waiting on election results there – in which event police described as massacre!
Police denied having knowledge of an incident at the lawmaker’s residence despite its proximity to their station.
Claims of Fraud and Crackdown on Dissent
Campaign period was marred by frequent clashes at opposition rallies and warnings from United Nations regarding widespread intimidation and repression, while on election day itself voting went relatively smoothly; yet tensions escalated overnight.
Museveni, now 81, had previously predicted his victory would come easily without fraud taking place. Bobi Wine accused authorities of extensive electoral manipulation and called on his supporters to protest results; sparking further confrontation across Uganda already on edge.
