During Saturday, the 80-year-old leader officially announced that he wants to represent the ruling party for a seventh term. In the event of a victory in the election in January 2026, he will then have ruled the country for over 40 years.
When Museveni took power in 1986, he himself criticized long-serving leaders who refused to step down. Since then, he has been re-elected six times, where the latest elections have been marked by violence and allegations of cheating.
Museveni's toughest challenger is the politician and musician Robert Kyagulanyi, better known under his artist name Bobi Wine. Museveni has portrayed him as an instrument for "foreign interests" and a number of his collaborators have been imprisoned or gone underground as the regime has cracked down on opposition supporters.
