Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine was placed under house arrest on Friday, a day after the country’s presidential election.
Early results released by the Ugandan Electoral Commission show President Yoweri Museveni firmly in the lead as he seeks to extend his four-decade rule. With about a quarter of the vote counted, the Commission puts Museveni at 76%, far ahead of Bobi Wine.
The election followed a campaign marked by an internet shutdown, a tactic critics say is used to stifle dissent. Museveni, once held as a liberator, now governs with an iron fist as critics accuse his government of arrest, torture, and political violence.
Bobi Wine, a 43-year-old former pop star, is at the center of a growing resistance movement, especially among Uganda’s youth. His message of change has electrified voters, often at great personal risk.
Election day was chaotic, plagued by malfunctioning biometric machines and delayed ballot deliveries in several areas, which fueled opposition anger.
Final presidential and parliamentary results are expected by early Saturday. A spokesperson for the Ugandan police and military joint task force stated the restriction on Wine’s movement was a “preventive measure” to ensure public order. A spokesperson for Wine’s National Unity Platform condemned the house arrest as an “illegal act.”
