Bid to lift presidential age limit may benefit Museveni

KAMPALA: Uganda’s cabinet has approved a resolution by its ruling party legislators for a constitutional amendment to remove the 75-year-old age limit for presidents.

The cabinet allowed the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party to table a private members bill for constitutional amendment in parliament next week, said Frank Tumwebaze, Uganda’s minister of Information Communication Technology and National Guidance.

The NRM legislators last week passed a resolution to table a constitutional amendment bill to amend Article 102(b) and scrap the 75-year-old age limit for presidents.

“The cabinet had no objection with the legislator’s resolution. It advised the chief whip to advise the legislator wishing to table the private members bill to do so in accordance with established legislative procedure and laws,” said Tumwebaze.

But opposition politicians argue that once the constitution is amended, it would enable the country’s President Yoweri Museveni to run for another term of office in 2021. Museveni is 73 and has been in power for over 30 years.

Some NRM politicians and opposition legislators have vowed to block the proposed bill. “We’ll do whatever it takes to ensure this bill is not presented. President Museveni has ruled and must retire with a legacy,” said Mohammed Nsereko, a legislator for Kampala Central.

The NRM party has over 250 out of 430 legislators in the country’s parliament. Some observers believe when the bill comes on the floor of parliament, it will be passed because of the NRM’s numerical advantage. – Xinhua