| Ugandan
Referendum to Decide Fate of Political Parties
In a Monday, June 13 broadcast, the BBC reported
that Uganda’s electoral board has defined next month’s
referendum question of whether or not multiparty politics
should be restored. The BBC comments that, for the 19 years
President Yoweri Museveni has been in power “Uganda
has operated a unique political system which severely restricted
political parties.” The argument advanced by President
Museveni for the establishment of a one party state has been
to prevent the chaos witnessed in Uganda from the 1970s to
the early 80s.
However,
just “last month Uganda's parliament voted overwhelmingly
in favor of holding a referendum on the country returning
to a full multi-party democracy.” The electoral board
said it proceeded with caution and “…had consulted
closely with both sides of the debate before deciding on the
question.” The report continued that the only pressing
fear now is “that as the constitution is amended to
bring in multiparty elections, it will also be altered to
let the president seek a third term in office, from which
he is currently barred.”
|
