Uganda’s long-serving president, Yoweri Museveni, will officially seek re-election for a seventh term in the upcoming general elections slated for January 2026, according to a senior official from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). While Museveni’s candidacy had been widely anticipated, this marks the first formal confirmation from his party.
The 2026 elections will see Ugandan citizens vote for both the president and members of parliament.
H.E. President @KagutaMuseveni is expected to pick nomination papers this Saturday at the NRM Electoral Commission (EC) offices as he seeks to retain the positions of the NRM chairman and party presidential flag bearer in the 2026 elections. pic.twitter.com/ROPOllGBCJ
— NRM Party (@NRMOnline) June 23, 2025
Now 80 years old, Museveni has been in power since 1986, making him Africa’s fourth longest-ruling leader, behind Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea (46 years), Paul Biya of Cameroon (43 years), and Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of Congo (41 years).
During his time in office, Museveni has overseen two constitutional amendments aimed at extending his tenure. In 2005, the NRM-dominated parliament removed presidential term limits, and in 2017, lawmakers scrapped the age cap, allowing individuals above 75 to run for office.
According to Tanga Odoi, chairman of the NRM’s electoral commission, Museveni is expected to formally submit his expression of interest this Saturday.
“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 [the] chance, for presidential flag bearer,” Odoi announced at a press briefing.
Museveni is likely to face Bobi Wine, the pop star-turned-opposition leader who came in second in the 2021 elections, a contest he claimed was marred by fraud. Wine has already declared his intention to run again in 2026.
Despite persistent accusations from human rights organizations and opposition groups of repression, patronage, and intimidation under his rule, Museveni maintains that his continued leadership is a result of genuine popular support.
