Yoweri Museveni, who on Sunday celebrated winning the country’s presidential polls once again, has dismissed criticism by the international community and opposition claims of vote buying and rigging. On Saturday, Museveni was declared the winner of the elections with 60% of the vote, while opposition leader Kizza Besigye secured just 35%, AFP reported.

With this win, Museveni extended his 30-year-long term in power. The 71-year-old thanked Ugandans for their votes, but also warned against those wanting to resort to violence through protests. “Besigye cannot be allowed to disturb our peace,” he said. Responding to concerns raised by international observers, who accused the police of unfair treatment of the opposition and believe Uganda’s electoral commission lacked transparency and independence, Museveni said, “Those Europeans are not serious... I don’t need lectures from anybody.”

Besigye has appealed to the international community not to recognise the results, claiming they were manipulated. He said, “Should you ratify the results of these sham elections, at least have the courage to admit that you do not care about democracy or human rights in Africa.” Last week, he was arrested three times, and his party headquarters was raided by police firing teargas on Friday. Former prime minister Amama Mbabazi came in a distant third with just more than 1% of the vote. He too believes that the election was “fundamentally flawed”.