Uganda leadership power struggle looms
2012-06-21 21:17
Kampala - The party of Uganda's long-serving ruler appears to have split up
into rival factions jostling for power in anticipation of the president's
possible exit, officials and analysts said on Wednesday.
They predicted an all-out power struggle that could pit the country's prime
minister against its first lady.
President Yoweri Museveni called an emergency meeting of top party officials
on Tuesday after his party's defeat last week in a parliamentary by-election
widely seen as a test of his popularity a year after he won re-election. The
loss came despite Museveni's physical presence in the contested region of
western Uganda, historically his core base.
Museveni, a former bush fighter who captured power by force in 1986, has not
said if he will run again when his current term expires in 2016, although
some party officials believe he is considering retirement in the face of
growing opposition to his rule.
Museveni, who is 68 according to his official biography, recently said he
would quit power by the time he reaches his mid-70s, setting off loud
speculation across Uganda about his likely successor.
There appear to be two top contenders waiting in the wings: First lady Janet
Museveni, an ambitious minister believed by some to be Museveni's favored
successor; and Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, a seasoned politician who has
made it clear he wishes to be the next president.
Parliamentarian David Bahati, the ruling party's chief whip, denied his
organisation had splintered into two camps, saying they were merely going
through a "critical debate" that will leave the party stronger.
Uganda's political scene is driven largely by men who dominate their
organisations and who can seem more popular than their ideas. Museveni's
aides have built his appeal around the notion that he saved Uganda from
cruel dictators, an image that traditionally resonates in villages such as
the one where his party was defeated last week.
The loss, seen by many analysts as a sign of Museveni's fading luster,
appears to have opened up new fault lines delineated by ambitious
politicians building their own power bases.
Retire, look after cattle
"The problem is the people who have personalised the party and want to own
everything," said Okot Ogong, a party member and lawmaker with a reputation
for independence, without mentioning names. "They feel that they are more
important than the party."
Museveni has long been accused of practicing nepotism, having once given his
brother and then his wife Cabinet positions. His son, an army colonel, heads
the Ugandan military's most elite unit and is in charge of his father's
security detail.
These choices suggest, according to some analysts, that Museveni may choose
a close relative as his successor, a decision that would disappoint
politicians who have spent years positioning themselves for the job. They
include Mbabazi, the corruption-tainted prime minister once praised by
Museveni, as well as Rebecca Kadaga, the popular speaker of Uganda's
parliament.
Mwambutsya Ndebesa, a professor of political history at Uganda's Makerere
University, said Museveni would never consider politicians such as Kadaga
and Mbabazi as possible successors because they may end up being
independent.
"I suspect the son," Ndebesa said, talking about Museveni's possible choice.
"Not even the mother."
Barnabas Tinkasimire, a lawmaker with the ruling party who once predicted
that the power struggles would "get bloody," said calls for Museveni's exit
were getting bolder.
"His time is finished," Tinkasimire said. "We in the party are telling
Museveni to go and retire and look after his cattle and grandchildren."
Related Links
* Uganda debates its future
<
http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Uganda-debates-its-future-20120606>
* Uganda to limit political assembly
<
http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Uganda-to-limit-political-assembly-201205
07>
*
<
http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Museveni-interested-in-ruling-for-life-20
120425> Museveni 'may want to rule for life'
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Received on Thu Jun 21 2012 - 17:18:23 EDT
