Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, aged 80, will seek re-election in January 2026, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) announced Tuesday, extending his nearly four-decade rule.
The NRM confirmed Museveni’s bid to remain party chairman and presidential flag bearer. Tanga Odoi, NRM electoral commission chairperson, told AFP Museveni will declare his candidacy for the general elections.
Opposition figures face intensifying crackdowns, with activists and politicians like Bobi Wine, who also plans to run, reporting arrests and violence. Wine lost to Museveni in the disputed 2021 polls.
Kizza Besigye, another opponent, was abducted in Kenya last year and faces treason charges in Uganda, condemned by rights groups as politically motivated. Museveni has altered the constitution to enable repeated candidacies.
The announcement follows heightened tensions, with Museveni’s son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, issuing threats against Wine. International concerns mount over Uganda’s electoral integrity ahead of the 2026 vote.
Leave a comment