Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Presidential candidate was yesterday declared winner of the 2016 Presidential election.

Other candidates in the race were Abed Bwanika of the Peoples Development Party (PDP), Former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, Baryamureeba Venansius, Benon Buta Biraaro, Kiiza Besigye Kifefe of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Joseph Mabirizi, and Maureen Kyalya.

Museveni polled 5, 617,503 votes (60.75%) beating his closest rival Besigye, who garnered 3, 270,290 votes (35.37%). Mbabazi polled 132,574 votes representing 1.43%.

Bwanika got 86,075 votes (0.93%) while Baryamureeba got 51,086 (0.55%).

Biraaro garnered 24.675 votes (0.27%) while Mabirizi Joseph got 23,762 (0.26%).

Kyalya, the only woman in the race got 40,598 (0.44%).

"Now, therefore candidate Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who has obtained the highest number of votes in the election and the votes cast in his/her favor being more than fifty percent of the valid votes cast at the election, the commission declares Yoweri Kaguta Museveni elected President of the Republic of Uganda at the Presidential election held on the 18th day of February 2016,” said Eng. Badru Kiggundu, Chairman of Uganda’s Electoral Commission at the National Tally Centre at Namboole Stadium.

Government Spokesperson Ofwono Opondo said that the NRM had learnt a lesson from the decline from Museveni’s 69% percent in 2011 to the current 60.75%.

"We have learnt a lesson that for us to increase on that percentage, we must work on challenges like service delivery,” Opondo told The Sunday Times.

As Kiggundu called out on the agents of candidates to pick their declaration forms, Besigye’s agents were visibly absent, emphasizing his earlier message of defiance other than compliance.

"We want to urge those that are opposing the results not to resort to violence because the long arm of the law will catch up with them. They should seek legal means if they aren’t satisfied,”

Opondo dismissed the power of crowds, arguing that if crowds translated into votes, Mbabazi would have scored higher that 1.43%.

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