Uganda: Museveni favored for a seventh presidential term
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is positioning himself as the leading candidate in the race for the presidential election scheduled for January 2026, with the aim of seeking a seventh consecutive term as head of the country.
This outlook places the current head of state among Africa’s longest-serving leaders on the continent. At 79, Mr. Museveni has been in power since 1986, after leading a rebellion that brought him to the top of Uganda’s executive.
For more than three decades, he has been reelected several times, first through multiparty elections, then through constitutional revisions that removed the age limit and the presidential term limits.
In this context, he is regarded as the frontrunner for the upcoming presidential election, facing a fragmented opposition that struggles to assemble a coalition strong enough to challenge him effectively.
Opposition parties often denounce the conditions of competition as unfair, pointing to restrictions on freedom of expression, administrative barriers, and a political environment deemed intimidating for their candidates.
A few weeks before the poll, the campaign is in full swing with rallies, public statements and electoral mobilization efforts on both sides. The political debate centers mainly on economic issues, youth, employment and infrastructure, while also being punctuated by criticisms of the longevity of the current regime.
For his supporters, Museveni’s continued presidency is synonymous with stability, recalling the infrastructure gains and development efforts carried out under his presidency. For his detractors, however, remaining in power embodies a prolonged concentration of executive authority, which limits political renewal.
W MCL The official election results are expected in the days following the vote, and could determine the country’s political future for several more years.
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