Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni will run for re-election in the country’s upcoming general elections, scheduled for early next year, according to a top official from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
This move will potentially extend his rule beyond the four decades he has already spent in office.
Though Museveni’s candidacy was widely anticipated, this marks the first formal confirmation from within the NRM.
Uganda’s elections, slated for January, will also include contests for parliamentary seats.
Now 80, Museveni has been at the helm since 1986, making him Africa’s fourth longest-serving leader.
Over the years, the Ugandan constitution has been amended twice to allow him to remain eligible for the presidency.
In a video shared late Monday on X (formerly Twitter) by the state broadcaster UBC, NRM electoral commission chairperson Tanga Odoi revealed that Museveni will officially take steps to join the race later this week.
“The president … will pick (up) expression-of-interest forms for two positions, one for chairperson of the party and the other to contest if he is given a chance for presidential flag bearer,” Odoi said.
Political parties in Uganda, including the ruling NRM, are currently vetting their potential candidates for the general election.
Museveni’s main rival is expected to be Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine — a former pop star turned opposition leader. He placed second in the 2021 elections and has already declared his intention to run again in 2026.
Wine contested the previous election results, alleging widespread electoral fraud, including ballot stuffing and voter intimidation by security forces.
