Yoweri Museveni Gains Early Lead in Uganda's Presidential Election Amid Tensions

Fri Jan 16 2026 15:00:45 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

As Uganda's presidential race unfolds, President Yoweri Museveni secures a commanding lead in preliminary vote counts, raising concerns about electoral integrity and security measures against opposition candidates.

Yoweri Museveni, Uganda's long-serving president, has taken an early lead in the presidential election with 76% of the votes counted from 45% of polling stations. This election has been marked by accusations of significant fraud from opposition leader Bobi Wine and a pre-election internet blackout. Tensions rise as Wine's party claims that security forces have placed him under house arrest following the vote.

Yoweri Museveni Gains Early Lead in Uganda's Presidential Election Amid Tensions

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has taken a strong lead in provisional results from Thursday's presidential election, the electoral agency reports.

The results announced on Friday morning show Museveni leading with 76% of the votes, based on results from 45% of the country's polling stations. He is followed by opposition leader Bobi Wine with around 20%.

Ugandans voted in a tense election fraught with violence, as Museveni, 81, seeks a seventh term in office. Wine, a musician turned politician, has alleged massive fraud in the election, which has been conducted under an internet blackout.

Late on Thursday, Wine's National Unity Platform (NUP) claimed military and police forces had surrounded his residence in Kampala, essentially placing him and his family under house arrest. This situation has drawn attention as Wine faced similar confinement after the 2021 elections, where he received 35% of the vote.

During the voting process, reports indicate significant delays at polling stations, with ballot boxes arriving late and biometric machines failing to function properly. Some observers have linked these issues to the network outage that preceded the election.