MPs trade punches in Uganda’s parliament over Yoweri Museveni’s term
Kampala — Fistfights and chair-throwing broke out in Uganda’s parliament on Tuesday, ahead of a debate on whether to grant long-serving President Yoweri Museveni another term in office, local television showed. The move to extend his rule has met widespread opposition from civic rights activists, the political opposition, religious leaders and even some members of Museveni’s own ruling party. He has been in power for more than three decades. Government and opposition legislators came to blows after the House speaker allowed a ruling party legislator to introduce a motion to kick-start a process to remove an age cap from Uganda’s constitution to allow Museveni to run for re-election. Under the existing constitution, a person standing for president must be under 75 years of age — which would make Museveni, 73, ineligible to stand at the next polls in 2021. Before the parliamentary session, which started midmorning, police fired tear gas to disperse protests by students and other oppos...
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