Uganda's President Stays in Power After Election Marred by Arrests and Fraud Claims

After an election marred by allegations of ballot fraud and arrests of opposition candidates, Uganda's incumbent President Yoweri Museveni was declared the election winner on Saturday, allowing him to continue his 30-year reign in the country.

With just half the country's votes counted on Saturday, Uganda's election commission declared Museveni, whose party is the National Resistance Movement, the winner with 60.7 percent of the vote. Opposition leader Kizza Besigye won 35.3 percent, according to the commission, which also noted that national voter turnout was just 63 percent.

On Thursday, Besigye was caught trying to break into a police station, where spokespeople from his party "The Forum for Democratic Change" claim they found a vote rigging operation led by police in Naguru, Lampala. The FDC says plainclothes police officers were destroying ballot papers and replacing them with pro-Museveni votes.

"We conducted an investigation for days after we have been tipped off this was happening," said the spokesperson, who asked his name be withheld for fear of retaliation.

Related: 'Where Are the Ballots?' Anger and Suspicion Grow Over Delays in Uganda's Election

Not long after his release, the opposition candidate was arrested again on Friday at his party's headquarters. His supporters were counting votes and about to hold a press conference to declare that the election had been rigged. Their count reportedly indicated that Besigye had a 7 percent edge on Museveni.

"They [the police] wanted to prevent us from telling from telling [the public that] provisional results did not match the official one," said Augustine Ojobile, an FDC supporter inside the building.

Police surrounded the FDC headquarters and fired tear gas and stun guns to drive away the crowds of Besigye's supporters, who threw rocks in retaliation. They eventually arrested Besigye, the party president Mugisha Muntu, and Ingrid Turinawe, the chairperson of the Women's League, escorting them away from the premises in a black van.

Unrest broke out in other areas of Kampala, and in other towns across the country. In some instances, standoffs between opposition supporters and police escalated, with officers firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Several people were seriously wounded and transported to hospital. Two people died.

On Saturday, Besigye, continued to publicly contest the results and voiced his demands for an audit. Besigye is currently under house arrest at his home in the capital along with six officials from his party.

"We have just witnessed what must be the most fraudulent electoral process in Uganda," Besigye said in a statement.

Related: Ugandan Opposition Rally Ends in Tear Gas and the Candidate Being Towed Away

A police spokesman said that they were being detained because they planned to announce "unauthorized results tallied by the opposition." A Reuters correspondent observed Besigye's home surrounded by riot police on Saturday, and said media were banned from going near.

On Saturday afternoon, the EU Observer Mission issued a statement, which said, "The National Resistance Movement's domination of the political landscape distorted the fairness of the campaign and state actors created an intimidating atmosphere for both voters and candidates."

The mission also said the vote counting process was "slow and lacking transparency," and also slammed the Electoral Commission's late delivery of voting material to opposition strongholds, which made it harder for potential voters to cast their ballots.

The electoral commission has rejected such allegations, and insists there was no foul play. Jonathan Taremwa, a spokesperson for the commission, told Al Jazeera that the process was "transparent" and "fair."

Watch the VICE News quick hit Political Arrest Sparks Unrest in Uganda:

"Some people didn't get to vote," Taremwa said. "It was unfortunate, it was regrettable, and the commission offered an apology. We finally had stations [affected by delays] opened for votes and later extended the voting from 4pm to 7pm."

Museveni, now 71, swept to power on the back on a rebel coup in 1986. He has been praised for bringing peace, stability, and economic growth to a country that was wracked with chaos and violence under Idi Amin and Milton Obote. During the '90s, Museveni was touted by foreign governments as an example of reformist African leadership, particularly for the way his administration reduced the HIV infection rate nationwide. Some now fear the power has gone to Museveni's head and he wants to hold on to the presidency for life.

Related: Uganda Accused of Crackdown on Journalists Ahead of Presidential Election

Besigye was Museveni's field doctor during the insurgency that brought him to power in the '80s, and he later served as a deputy interior minister in the president's first cabinet. Besigye severed ties with the president in 1999, contending that Museveni had strayed from his party line.

Besigye has already challenged Museveni unsuccessfully in three previous elections, although he appears to have substantial support from a large part of the population, including youths that are disenchanted with Museveni's rule. Over the last months of the campaign, he has repeatedly claimed elections would not be free and fair.

In a statement, the American embassy in Kampala condemned "the disproportionate police actions" taken at the FDC headquarters in Kampala.

"We call on security forces to exercise restraint," the statement said. "The Ugandan people have exhibited patience despite their frustrations during the voting period."

Reuters contributed to this report

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