Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been re-elected for a seventh term, winning 71.65 percent of the vote in the presidential election held on 15 January 2026, according to the Uganda Electoral Commission. Museveni, 81 and in power since 1986, now enters another five-year term, extending his leadership to nearly four decades. The final results showed Museveni defeating his closest rival, opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, who garnered 24.72 percent of the vote. Turnout was approximately 52 percent, marking one of the lowest participation rates in Uganda’s recent electoral history. Observers reported that the vote was held against a backdrop of an internet shutdown, alleged failures in biometric voter systems, and security force involvement, with some opponents and international critics saying such conditions undermined transparency and voter confidence. Wine rejected the official results, describing them as fraudulent, and opposition supporters clashed with authorities in parts of the capital, Kampala. The election was marked by a heavy security presence and reports of arrests, activities condemned by observers as intimidation that eroded trust in the process. Despite these controversies, the Election Commission’s declaration confirms Museveni’s continued hold on Uganda’s presidency, a position he has maintained since coming to power after leading a guerrilla movement that ended civil conflict in 1986.
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