Kizza Besigye, Uganda’s strongest opposition leader and a long time political rival of President Yoweri Museveni, has called upon all Ugandan to boycott the country’s next general elections.
Mr. Besigye, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party leader’s announcement comes after the President of Uganda, Museveni, agreed and signed the lifting of the age limit bill into law.
The new Ugandan Constitution now, does not bar anyone from contesting for any position in the politics of the country which was not the case before.
According to Mr. Besigye, the move by Mr. Museveni has confirmed that the President is planning on clinging onto power under any circumstances, for the rest of his life.
The opposition leader was quoted as saying that ‘change in Uganda will not only come through elections, but also through struggle.’
Besigye further called upon all opposition parties to join his FDC party in the struggle, since they all have the same enemy.
He also informed that instead of preparing to go to the polls, where the winner is always predetermined, they should get together and kick out the dictator, in a nonviolent revolution instead.
President Museveni on the other hand, through his senior presidential press secretary, Don Wanyama, has ridiculed all of Mr. Besigye’s words and also called on Ugandans to ignore him.
In his statement presented by his press secretary, the President clarified that the new laws do not talk about life presidency, as Besigye states it.
He added that Mr. Besigye is calling upon people to boycott the polls, because he realized that there was no way he could ever beat Museveni in the polls.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has ruled the country since 1986. He is also one of the presidents that have helped themselves cling onto power by changing the country’s constitution and other means.
Reporter: Shamilah Namuddu
