Ugandan President Secures Sixth Term in Disputed Election
Bloomberg
1/17/2021
(Bloomberg) --
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni coasted to victory in elections that were marred by a clampdown on opposition campaigning, extending his 35-year rule.
Museveni won 58.6% of votes cast on Jan. 14, according to results released on Saturday by the Electoral Commission of Uganda on state television. Pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, 38, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi and presented himself as a youthful alternative to the 76-year-old president, secured 34.8%.
Africa’s biggest-coffee exporter, Uganda is due to begin exporting oil starting in 2024, and Museveni’s victory will clear the way for him to press ahead with about $20 billion of associated projects, including a crude pipeline and refinery. There’s a risk that implementation could be hindered by civil unrest should the opposition mobilize to try and overturn the election outcome.