Museveni to Run for 6th Term

21 FEB, 2019 - 00:02

KAMPALA. — Uganda’s ruling party has endorsed President Yoweri Museveni (74), as its candidate in 2021 elections, which could see him seek re-election for a sixth term, a party resolution said yesterday.

The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) called for President Museveni to “continue leading the movement and the state in 2021 and beyond to eliminate bottlenecks to transformation.”

The move comes after a bill was signed in December 2017 scrapping a presidential age limit of 75, which would have blocked President Museveni from running again, sparking demonstrations and an outcry from the opposition which accused the president of seeking to rule for life.

The constitutional court in July last year ruled in favour of removing the limit.

Last month Uganda’s Supreme Court began hearing a petition to challenge this decision.

President Museveni, who seized power at the head of a rebel army in 1986, once said leaders who “overstayed” were the root of Africa’s problems.

However while running for a fifth term in 2016, he said it was not the right time for him to leave, as he still had work to do.

The CEC will present its resolutions to the National Executive Committee before the party holds a conference of delegates.

— AFP-Xinhua.