President Yoweri Museveni held a commanding lead in early election results announced Friday, while the party of his main challenger, Bobi Wine, said its leader had been placed under effective house arrest by security forces.
Results released by the electoral commission from Thursday’s vote showed the 81-year-old Museveni with 76.25% of the ballots based on tallies from nearly half of the polling stations.
Wine, a popular singer-turned-politician whose legal name is Robert Kyagulanyi, trailed with 19.85%, with the remaining votes split among six other candidates.
The election followed a campaign season marred by violence and was held under a nationwide internet blackout that the government claimed was necessary to curb "misinformation."
*Allegations of Fraud*
Wine, 43, alleged "massive fraud" during the polling, which saw significant delays in several districts.
His National Unity Platform (NUP) party claimed on social media late Thursday that the military and police had surrounded Wine’s residence in the capital, Kampala, preventing him from leaving.
"The military and police have surrounded our leader's home," an NUP spokesperson said.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke told reporters he was not aware of Wine being confined.
Security forces previously held Wine at his home for several days following the 2021 election, which the United States denounced as neither free nor fair.
Museveni, who seized power at the head of a rebellion in 1986, is seeking a seventh term to extend his rule into a fifth decade.
After casting his ballot on Thursday, he told reporters he expected to win with 80% of the vote "if there's no cheating."
While Museveni credits his administration with bringing peace and economic stability to the East African nation, critics and international rights groups have accused his government of using repressive laws to stifle dissent and intimidate the opposition.
The electoral commission is constitutionally required to announce final results within 48 hours of the polls closing.
As the tallies continue to come in, political analysts are watching the margin of victory as a metric of Museveni’s remaining political strength and for clues regarding his eventual succession.
Speculation has mounted that he may be grooming his son, military chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to succeed him—a claim the president has denied.
The United Nations and various human rights organizations had warned ahead of the vote that the election would take place in an environment of "widespread repression."
