Kampala // Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni extended his three-decade rule on Saturday, winning a fifth term in polls rejected as fraudulent by the opposition leader under house arrest.
Mr Museveni, 71, won 60 per cent of the vote in the sometimes chaotic election, far ahead of the 35 per cent garnered by detained opposition chief Kizza Besigye, whose house was surrounded by dozens of armed police in riot gear.
Large numbers of police and troops have been deployed, with the streets of the capital Kampala appearing calm immediately after the widely expected victory for Mr Museveni was declared.
In a message to the international community, Mr Besigye said: “Should you ratify the results of these sham elections, at least have the courage to admit that you do not care about democracy or human rights in Africa.”
International observers also raised the red flag, warning that Uganda’s electoral commission lacked transparency and accusing the police of heavy-handed treatment of the opposition.
Although Mr Museveni was re-elected, at least 19 of his ministers lost their parliamentary seats, among them defence minister Crispus Kiyonga, who is leading regional efforts to end the political crisis in Burundi, and attorney general Fred Ruhindi.
About 9.7 million Ugandans voted– a turnout of around 63 per cent – for president and members of parliament, with 290 assembly seats contested by candidates from 29 political parties.
Mr Museveni, 71, and Mr Besigye, 59, were once close. They fought together in a bush war to overthrow Uganda’s first post-independence leader Milton Obote. During that time, Mr Besigye served as Mr Museveni’s personal physician.
This was Mr Besigye’s fourth attempt to unseat his former comrade-in-arms, his best performance so far being in 2006 when he polled 37 per cent.
* Agence France-Presse
