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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Uganda opposition threatens Egypt-style protests |
| 2011-02-13 |
| [Pak Daily Times] Opposition members in Uganda are threatening Egypt-style protests if next Friday's presidential election is rigged so that Yoweri Museveni can extend his 25-year grip on power. Museveni is widely expected to win another term in office, and the Ugandan military and police would likely crush any attempted revolt. 'As long as people are oppressed for a long time, as long as they become hopeless in all processes ... then a time comes when their anger explodes,' opposition candidate Kizza Besigye said in an interview. Museveni, who seized power in 1986 as the head of a guerrilla army, faces Besigye and six other opponents in the election. The longtime leader, who has been accused of quashing dissent and reversing presidential term limits, warned against unrest during the upcoming poll. 'I hear some characters talking about violence during elections. There will be no violence. Whoever attempts will do so at his or her own risk,' he said earlier this month. Pro-democracy protesters in Egypt brought down geriatric President Hosni Mubarak on Friday after three decades of authoritarian rule. Analysts are playing down the possibility of a similar Ugandan uprising. 'There may be some pockets of people coming to protest but it won't be full-scale,' said independent security analyst Levi Ochieng. 'The police and army would act with decisive force.' At a rally on Friday, Museveni arrived to the sound of his hit campaign song, a rap tune featuring him singing the chorus 'Do you want another rap?' Museveni has tried to appeal to Ugandan youth; most are too young to remember any other ruler. The top opposition candidate is Besigye, who is Museveni's former personal physician. Besigye lost to Museveni in 2001 and 2006 polls that were tainted by intimidation and violence. Besigye claims a pro-Museveni electoral commission means next Friday's vote is already 'fundamentally flawed.' |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 "The current administration seems to be unaware That pretty much sums up the current |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2011-02-13 11:17 |
| #2 The current administration seems to be unaware of the latter possibility or at least it is not being voiced publically. Clapper seems to be unaware of the movement towards fundamentalism in Turkey the theocracy in Iran or the MB agenda. I worry about these "popular" movements being hijacked. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2011-02-13 09:21 |
| #1 It is hard to tell whether these protests and movements (Uganda, Tunisia, Egypt, and Algeria) are secular and seeking more freedom for citizens or movements that will end up like Iran in a tyrannical theocracy bent on Mideast and possibly world domination. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2011-02-13 08:58 |