African leaders congratulate Museveni after Uganda election win

African leaders have congratulated Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni after the country’s Electoral Commission declared him the winner of the presidential election, securing a seventh term and extending his rule to nearly 40 years.

The Electoral Commission said Museveni, 81, won 71.65 per cent of the vote in Thursday’s election, defeating opposition leader Bobi Wine, who secured 24.72 per cent. Museveni first came to power in 1986.

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame was among the first to publicly congratulate Museveni, and said he looked forward to continued cooperation between Uganda and Rwanda.

Kenya’s President William Ruto said Museveni’s win reflected public confidence in his leadership and the support of the National Resistance Movement party.

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also congratulated Museveni and linked Uganda’s progress under his leadership to development and regional stability. He said Somalia reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening ties with Uganda.

The African Union Commission Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, also congratulated Museveni and commended the conduct of the elections. In its statement, the AU said Museveni was re-elected with 71.61 per cent of the votes cast in the January 15 poll.

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir described the result as a landslide and said he looked forward to working with Museveni to advance bilateral relations. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi also congratulated Museveni, describing the outcome as reflecting the confidence of Ugandan voters.

After being declared the winner, Museveni said the result demonstrated the strength of his party, despite a voter turnout of 52 per cent, which he said was the lowest since Uganda returned to multiparty politics in 2006.

The election was overshadowed by controversy, including a day-long internet shutdown and failures of biometric voter identification machines that delayed voting in several areas, including Kampala.

Bobi Wine, 43, said he went into hiding after security forces raided his home shortly after the vote. He accused the government of ballot stuffing, particularly in regions seen as ruling party strongholds, allegations the government has denied.

SOURCE: TRT Afrika