Uganda’s 80-Year-Old President in Bid to Extend 40-Year Rule
Uganda’s long-serving president, Yoweri Museveni, 80, has been officially nominated as the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party’s presidential candidate for the 2026 elections. The move paves the way for him to potentially extend his rule to over 40 years.
In his acceptance speech at the NRM national conference, Museveni said he was responding to the people’s call and pledged to continue his mission to transform Uganda into a “high middle income country.”
Museveni seized power in 1986 as a rebel leader and has since ruled Uganda through successive elections. Despite criticism over authoritarianism, he has maintained a stronghold on the presidency, bolstered by constitutional amendments that scrapped both age and term limits.
“My mission is not yet complete. Uganda must not miss the bus of history as we did in the past when Europe transformed, and Africa stagnated and was enslaved,” Museveni declared.
He argued that his government had brought stability and progress, and urged Ugandans to stay the course to achieve what he termed a “qualitative leap.”
“Other countries in Asia with fewer natural resources did it. We can do it,” he said.
Museveni is expected to face a strong challenge from pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi. Wine lost to Museveni in the 2021 elections, garnering 35% of the vote against Museveni’s 59% in a poll marred by allegations of vote rigging and a brutal crackdown on the opposition.
In an April interview with the BBC, Wine affirmed his readiness to contest again if nominated by his party, the National Unity Platform (NUP). However, he decried increasing repression, saying, “Being in the opposition in Uganda means being labelled a terrorist.”
Another key opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, has been in detention since November on treason charges, which he dismisses as politically motivated.
Museveni’s latest bid has stirred fresh debate over democratic stagnation in Uganda and the limits of power. With the election set for January 2026, the political atmosphere in Uganda is already heating up amid rising concerns over civil liberties and electoral transparency.
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Uganda’s 80-Year-Old President in Bid to Extend 40-Year Rule