Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, 80, has been officially over the week-end named the ruling National Resistance Movement’s candidate for the 2026 presidential election, setting the stage for a potential extension of his nearly 40-year rule.
In his acceptance speech, Museveni pledged to continue his efforts to transform Uganda into a “high upper middle income country,” citing stability and progress under his leadership since seizing power in 1986. He emphasised the importance of not missing the “bus of history” as Uganda strives for economic transformation, likening the country’s aspirations to the successes of resource-limited Asian nations.
Museveni’s long grip on power, sustained by constitutional amendments removing term and age limits, has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition and human rights advocates. His chief rival is expected to be pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, who lost the 2021 election amid allegations of electoral fraud and heavy suppression of dissent. Wine, leader of the National Unity Platform, has decried the shrinking political space and increasing persecution of opposition voices, stating that being in opposition now means being labelled a terrorist. Meanwhile, another key opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, remains in detention on treason charges he denies, calling his arrest politically motivated.