Uganda's ruling party endorses Museveni for sixth-term run

Pulse News Agency International by AFP

February 20, 2019 8:13 AM

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 Wednesday.

Museveni seized power at the head of a rebel army in 1986

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) called for Museveni to "continue leading the movement and the state in 2021 and beyond to eliminate bottlenecks to transformation."

The resolution was adopted at a retreat for top party officials chaired by Museveni.

The move comes after a bill was signed in December 2017 scrapping a presidential age limit of 75, which would have blocked 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.

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.

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Pulse News Agency International by AFP