Uganda's Yoweri Museveni endorsed as 2026 presidential candidate by National Resistance Movement
Pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine is expected to be Museveni's main challenger in the election scheduled for next January. Wine told the BBC in April that he would run against Museveni if he was nominated by his party, the National Unity Platform, but it was getting "tougher" to be in opposition because of growing state repression."Being in the opposition in Uganda means being labelled a terrorist," he said.Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, lost the last election in 2021 to Museveni by 35% to 59% in a poll marred by allegations of rigging and a crackdown on the opposition. Another prominent opposition politician, Kizza Besigye, has been in detention since November after being accused of treason. He denies the allegation, saying his arrest is political. In his acceptance speech at the National Resistance Movement (NRM) conference on Saturday, Museveni said that he had brought about stability and progress in Uganda.He said it was crucial that Uganda did not "miss the bus of history as happened in the past when Europe transformed and Africa stagnated and was enslaved".Museveni added that he wanted Uganda to take a "qualitative leap", and become a "high upper middle income country"."Other countries in Asia with less natural resources, did it. We can do it," he added.
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Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent?How Besigye disappeared in Kenya and ended up in military courtHow an ex-rebel has stayed in power
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The Guardian
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