Its good that he acknowledges that free and fair elections in a multi-party setting are important. But he should have also made it clear that the current political environment in Uganda is not as yet conducive to such elections and therefore the presidential term limits should still stay in place as a check. It is no good just comparing the situation in Uganda to his native Belgium where free and fair elections are the norm - that is a completely different ball game.
The framers of the 1995 constitution (a lot of them NRM people) did not just wake up one day and decide to insert presidential term limits for good measure. They must have had a reason. To my mind, the reason for this decision is still real.
Kasangwawo
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Ugnet] Free and fair elections not term limits Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 09:07:28 EST
EU chief raps term limits
POPULAR MANDATE: Michel (right) tours camps in Gulu
By Cyprian Musoke
IT does not matter how long a president stays in power as long as he still has the popular mandate, a European Union commissioner (EU) has said.
The EU commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, Louis Michel, was addressing the press at Sheraton hotel Kampala on Thursday night.
Michel, who had earlier met President Yoweri Museveni at State house
Nakasero, said free and fair elections in a multi-party setting were more important.
He was responding to questions on whether Museveni had hinted on whether he would retire when his constitutional term expires.
Michel said popularity of a person, nature of the electorate and the fairness
of the elections mattered most.
“I was elected for 30 years. I had seven or eight terms. Of course nobody
doesn’t find this abnormal. I am just a popular guy,” he said, in reference to
his former position as deputy Premier of Belgium.
“You need a loyal, free and fair election, but it ultimately depends on the
people, the candidate, and fairness of the elections,” he said.
He said they talked about the White paper, democracy, multi-partism and the Uganda-Rwanda relationship.
Michel said he told Museveni that multipartyism was an active condition for democracy, ‘to which the President seemed to agree’.
Michel, who had just concluded a visit to northern Uganda, wondered why the international community had ignored the situation there.
He said Betty Bigombe, the chief mediator in the peace talks, assured him
that there was an opportunity to end the war, and requested for more funds from
the EU.
Michel said the EU alone could not deliver all the assistance needed for the
war. He asked others to join the struggle.
He said the EU would finance road infrastructure to make sure that the people
in the camps returned to their homes to till their land.
Published on: Saturday, 18th December, 2004
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