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Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, has reportedly secured a seventh term in office after winning 71.65 per cent of the vote in Uganda’s presidential election, according to official results announced on Saturday.
The poll, however, was overshadowed by an internet shutdown and allegations of fraud from the opposition, the Independent reports.
Main challenger Bobi Wine, a musician-turned-politician whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, garnered 24.72 per cent of the vote.
Wine rejected the results, describing the electoral process as unfair and accusing authorities of abducting his polling agents.
Read more: Uganda begins vote counting amid internet shutdown and rigging allegations
“I reject these fake results,” Wine said, calling on Ugandans to engage in peaceful protests until what he termed the “rightful results” are announced.
Tensions heightened on Friday after Wine said he was forced to flee to avoid arrest when security forces surrounded his home.
His party earlier claimed he had been forcibly taken away in an army helicopter, an assertion later denied by police.
Police spokesperson, Kituuma Rusoke, said Wine was not under arrest and remained free to leave his residence.
However, he said access to the premises was being restricted to prevent individuals from using the location to incite violence.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission has come under scrutiny following the failure of biometric voter identification machines on polling day, which caused delays in several urban centres, including the capital Kampala, a known opposition stronghold.
Following the malfunction, polling officials reverted to manual voter registers, a move criticised by pro-democracy activists who have long advocated for biometric systems to curb electoral malpractice.
The technical failure is expected to form the basis of any legal challenge to the election outcome.
President Museveni defended the decision to use paper registers after the machines failed.
However, Wine alleged widespread irregularities, including massive ballot stuffing and the abduction of opposition polling agents, claims he said gave the ruling party an unfair advantage.
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