Veteran Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has taken a commanding lead in early results from the country’s presidential election, according to figures released by the electoral commission on Friday, as the opposition accused security forces of placing his main challenger, Bobi Wine, under effective house arrest. Preliminary results from Thursday’s vote show Museveni, 81, securing 76.25% of the ballots counted so far, based on tallies from nearly half of polling stations nationwide. His closest rival, pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, trailed with 19.85

Veteran Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has taken a commanding lead in early results from the country’s presidential election, according to figures released by the electoral commission on Friday, as the opposition accused security forces of placing his main challenger, Bobi Wine, under effective house arrest. Preliminary results from Thursday’s vote show Museveni, 81, securing 76.25% of the ballots counted so far, based on tallies from nearly half of polling stations nationwide. His closest rival, pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, trailed with 19.85%, while the remaining votes were split among six other candidates. Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since seizing power in 1986, is seeking another decisive victory to reinforce his political authority amid growing speculation about his eventual succession. After casting his ballot, he told reporters he expected to win around 80% of the vote, “if there’s no cheating.” However, Wine and his supporters have alleged widespread fraud during the election, which was conducted under an internet blackout following a tense campaign marked by violence. Wine called on his supporters to protest the results, although no demonstrations had been reported by Friday. Late on Thursday, Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) party claimed on X that police and military forces had surrounded his home in the capital, Kampala, effectively placing him under house arrest. Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke told Reuters he was not aware of any such action. The allegations echo events from the 2021 election, when security forces confined Wine to his home for several days after a vote in which he officially received 35% of the ballots. That election was described by the United States as neither free nor fair, a claim Ugandan authorities rejected. Ahead of this year’s vote, the United Nations human rights office warned that the election was taking place in an atmosphere of “widespread repression and intimidation.” During the campaign, security forces repeatedly opened fire at Wine’s rallies, killing at least one person and arresting hundreds of his supporters. The government has defended its actions, saying security forces were responding to lawless behaviour.

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