Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni won the2026 general elections, extending his already long rule beyond four decades. The nation’s electoral commission declared him the winner with 71.65 per cent of the total votes cast. His primary opponent, Bobi Wine, received about 25 per cent, down from 35 per cent in the 2021 general elections.
In October of last year, another abysmal scene occurred in Cameroon, where the incumbent, Paul Biya, at 92,won another term for himself and his party with 53.66 per cent.
Museveni’s seventh term as president at the age of 81 raises a question that goes far beyond Uganda: do elections in parts of Africa still function as meaningful instruments of democratic choice, or have they become rituals that legitimise political permanence?
In the Ugandan context, a charitable framing sees Museveni’s win as a true reflection of the people’s choice. This framing, however, falls apart because elections rarely ever occur in a vacuum. Broader political systems often constrain how elections operate.
These systems may be open or closed across varying scalar dimensions, subject to incumbency advantage, control over security forces, restrictions on opposition mobilisation, media imbalance, and the strategic use of state resources.
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In somewhat closed political systems, electoral outcomes usually reflect a complex mix of consent, coercion, fear, patronage, and political resignation.
Closed political system
Complaints of coercion, political intimidation, fear, wrongful detention, and media suppression have marred Museveni’s four-decade governance. Many have analysed Uganda’s political system as one marked bystate repression, hence mirroring a closed political system.Reports indicate that these variants are far too common in African nations, including Togo and Tanzania.
Do elections then have any meaningfulness in Africa? Uganda’s situation mirrors a wider African challenge. Across the continent, many young people are increasingly detached from political systems largely controlled by ageing elites.
The verdict from this section of the population is that democracy is, to them, quietly hollow, delivering less on the promises of prosperity, whether through employment, healthcare, or security.
The apprehension towards democracy, the political system, and the political elites reveals that, for the youth, democracy has become procedural, lacking substance. An Afronarometer report points to an 18-percentage-point gap in voting between the youth (aged 18-35) and other generations. This gap is the most considerable generational disparity in voting.
Democratic exhaustion
The danger of this is not only unfair outcomes; it is the beginning of democratic exhaustion. When citizens repeatedly participate in elections that do not bring change, faith in the electoral process and politics erodes. As voter apathy increases, civic engagement declines, and political energy shifts away into informal forms of resistance.
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At its core, democratic meaning rests not in the act of voting, but in the real possibility of political alternation, accountability, and citizen agency. The task ahead, therefore, is not only electoral reform but democratic renewal.
A renewal that includes sustained civic education, stronger regional and continental pressure for democratic norms, and economic policies that restore dignity and agency to citizens. The rule of law must be a strong feature in many African nation-states.
A lack of a rule-based system grounded in fair laws will demotivate the young base and may increase the appetite for coups as a means of correction. Proposing the rule of law and maintaining it requires recognising that stability without accountability is fragile, and longevity without legitimacy is unsustainable.
Some optimism
Retrospectively, Bobi Wine’s political career reveals that even in constrained environments, youth-driven mobilisation, cultural politics, and digital platforms can disrupt dominant narratives.
Such a career illustrates how young people’s minds can shape their understanding of the futures they can create. The youth of all African nation-states can spearhead the turn to democratic meaningfulness by continually engaging in political life.
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Uganda’s election is not merely about one man’s continued rule or one opposition figure’s defeat. It is a warning signal about the future of democratic meaning in Africa.
The response of governments, citizens, and regional bodies will shape the continent’s political direction for generations to come. Africa must reclaim democratic meaning, and its youth are central to that task.
Gideon Adjei-Mawutor is a Ghanian policy analyst, development practitioner, and youth & gender advocate. He is available at gideonadjeimawutor@gmail.com on X as @Giddijei. The opinions expressed here are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Chanzo. If you are interested in publishing in this space, please contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
