Ugandan ruling party backs Museveni re-election bid
Tenure might potentially be 40 years
Kampala — The executive committee of Uganda's ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has endorsed President Yoweri Museveni as its candidate in the next presidential election due in 2021, potentially extending his tenure to 40 years. Museveni, 74, has held office since 1986 when he took power after a five-year guerrilla war, making him one of Africa’s longest-ruling leaders. “Museveni will be our presidential candidate. He is very popular,” NRM spokesman Rogers Mulindwa said at the end of a five-day committee meeting on Monday night. The decision now goes to the party membership for formal confirmation. The opposition and rights groups say Museveni has maintained his grip on power through a mix of electoral fraud, violent clampdown on the opposition, suppression of dissent and deft co-opting of some of the opponents. His backers deny that and say he has remained popular because of vigorous economic expansion, political stability and infrastructure construction under his rule. In ...
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