Uganda’s Bobi Wine Urges Protest Against Disputed Vote Results

(Bloomberg) -- Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine said citizens should “use non-violent and legal means” to protest the results of the Jan. 14 presidential election, which he claims he won.

The musician-turned-politician, who has been under house arrest since the results were declared, was speaking in a live broadcast on Facebook Friday. He has rejected the outcome announced by the Electoral Commission of Uganda, showing that President Yoweri Museveni was re-elected with 58.6% of the cast vote. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, got 34.8%.

The electoral body stands by the election results and urged anyone who alleges vote rigging to prove it.

The spokesman of the ruling National Resistance Movement party didn’t answer calls seeking comment.

Wine said he has adequate evidence to challenge the election results and will announce a decision on filing a court petition in the next few days.

Wine, 38, who became a lawmaker in 2017, presented himself as a youthful alternative to the 76-year-old Museveni -- who came to power in a coup in 1986. The lead-up to the vote was tense, with the opposition accusing the government of attempting to rig the outcome. At least 54 people died after protests that erupted following Wine’s arrest in November.