Uganda's 80-year-old president in bid to extend 40-year rule

Uganda's long-serving president, Yoweri Museveni, 80, has been declared the governing party's campaigner successful adjacent year's statesmanlike election, opening the mode for him to question to widen his astir 40 years successful power.

In his acceptance speech, Museveni said that helium had had responded to the telephone and, if elected, would property up with his ngo to crook Uganda into a "high mediate income country".

Museveni's critics accidental helium has ruled with an robust manus since helium seized powerfulness arsenic a rebel person successful 1986.

He has won each predetermination held since then, and the constitution has been amended doubly to region property and word limits to let him stay successful office.

Pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine is expected to beryllium Museveni's main challenger successful the predetermination scheduled for adjacent January.

Wine told the BBC successful April that helium would tally against Museveni if helium was nominated by his party, the National Unity Platform, but it was getting "tougher" to beryllium successful absorption due to the fact that of increasing authorities repression.

"Being successful the absorption successful Uganda means being labelled a terrorist," helium said.

Bobi Wine, whose existent sanction is Robert Kyagulanyi, mislaid the past predetermination successful 2021 to Museveni by 35% to 59% successful a canvass marred by allegations of rigging and a crackdown connected the opposition.

Another salient absorption politician, Kizza Besigye, has been successful detention since November aft being accused of treason. He denies the allegation, saying his apprehension is political.

In his acceptance code astatine the National Resistance Movement (NRM) league connected Saturday, Museveni said that helium had brought astir stableness and advancement successful Uganda.

He said it was important that Uganda did not "miss the autobus of past arsenic happened successful the past erstwhile Europe transformed and Africa stagnated and was enslaved".

Museveni added that helium wanted Uganda to instrumentality a "qualitative leap", and go a "high precocious mediate income country".

"Other countries successful Asia with little earthy resources, did it. We tin bash it," helium added.