Besigye: A worthy but not formidable rival of Museveni

Ugandan soldiers patrol the city centre in Kampla after President Yoweri Museveni won the presidential election for a fifth term on February 20, 2016. PHOTO | AFP

What you need to know:

  • In power since January 1986, Museveni had ruled Uganda for 10 years before being democratically elected for his first term 20 years ago.

  • Kizza Besigye was detained for the third time last week, amid increased army and police action during the chaotic polls.
  • Police surrounded Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change headquarters and fired tear gas canisters and water canons before bursting in and arresting top party officials.

  • Following the action and military deployment during the polls, United States Secretary of State John Kerry voiced concern.

For sheer drama, hardly anything beats Ugandan polls, especially presidential ones, which President Yoweri Museveni has dominated for the past two decades.

In power since January 1986, Museveni had ruled Uganda for 10 years before being democratically elected for his first term 20 years ago.

After the most recent election kicked off on Thursday and picked up momentum on Friday, there were few doubts as to who would romp home with a convincing victory. 

The triumph would, however, be the result of manoeuvres that left his opponents breathless.

For instance his main rival,  Kizza Besigye, was on Friday detained for the third time last week, amid increased army and police action during the chaotic polls.

On Friday police surrounded Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change headquarters and fired tear gas canisters and water canons before bursting in and arresting top party officials.

INTIMIDATION

Following the action and military deployment during the polls, United States Secretary of State John Kerry voiced concern.

He urged Museveni to rein in police and security forces.

Kerry at the same time called on Museveni to remove blocks on popular social media and mobile money sites.

Kerry said such actions “call into question Uganda’s commitment to a transparent and credible elections free from intimidation”.

The ordeal of Besigye, a doctor who was once Museveni’s physician, were not isolated.

Another candidate, Amama Mbabazi, was besieged at his home in the Kampala suburb of Kololo.

On Friday, Mbabazi had to contend with the intimidating presence of police officers who blocked the road to his home.

The police, according to the Daily Monitor, wanted to ensure that “there was no suspicious activity taking place at the house”.

Campaigns, which began months ago, have been marked by drama even as Museveni promised to uphold peace.

Still, there were recurrent claims by his opponents of fraud and intimidation.

UNWORTHY OPPONENTS

With the exception of Besigye, the other opposition candidate turned out to be mere also-rans.

Former PM Mbabazi, for instance, performed dismally even in his home district of Kanungu.

He came a distant third, trailing Besigye and Museveni.

Besigye and his FDC party proved to be worthy though not particularly formidable opponents to Museveni.

Remarkably, as voting concluded on Friday, provisional results gave 71-year-old Museveni 63 per cent of the vote.

Besigye was in second place with 33 per cent. The electoral commission finally declared Museveni the winner Saturday.

As the drama unfolded in Uganda, the march to democracy continued elsewhere.

Today the perennially chaotic island nation of Comoros, which has suffered 20 coups or attempted coups in four decades since independence in 1975, holds presidential and gubernatorial elections.

The polls come after a parliamentary election held on January 24. Today’s first round of the presidential vote is expected to culminate in a second round set for  April 10.

Meanwhile, following last Sunday’s general elections, troubled Central African Republic is inching towards stability.

Former PM Faustin Archange Touadera is “comfortably” leading. A mathematics professor who also led in the first round of the  election, Touadera is widely expected to become the next president.

Hopefully, President-elect Touadera will turn around a country that has in recent years been  wracked by conflict which has uprooted more than a quarter of the population from their homes.