MUSEVENI NOW PLANS FOR SWEARING IN CEREMONY AS SUPREME COURT THROWS OUT PETITION
(Posted 31st March 2016)
The Supreme Court just now rendered its verdict over the Petition before it, where one of the losing candidates for President had challenged the election of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
While observing some logistical shortcomings and noting some non compliance vis a vis the Presidential Election Act in the February 18th General Election has the full nine member Supreme Court of Uganda however broadly dismissed the various challenges brought before them in the petition.
As a legal requirement, a decision had to be handed down by 31st of March and the Supreme Court, following several weeks of night shifts by the justices and law clerks, met the deadline when throwing out the petition.
Chief Justice Bart Katureebe read out the compressed judgement, saying more extensive reasons and explanations will be given in the full written verdict which should be available for the public soon.
Subsequently are President Museveni’s office and other bodies now preparing for the swearing in ceremony after which M7 as he is affectionately called by his supporters, will commence his – the current constitution age bars him from standing again in 2021 – final term of office.
It is congratulations to the winner, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and commiseration to the candidates which did not gain a majority of voters.
Let peace and tranquility prevail in Uganda, now that the land’s highest court has spoken and ruled and take the political debate to parliament where it belongs.
Uganda’s tourism industry had experienced a significant downturn of arrivals prior and after the elections, to a large part attributed to the thinly concealed threats of taking protests to the streets, a recipe to scare away much needed tourists and have them spend their tourist dollars elsewhere.
Uganda’s tourism stakeholders have shown immediate relief that the petition decision is now out and several have expressed their hope that the opposition will refrain from taking their grievances to the streets, renew their ‘Walk to Work‘ protests and withdraw calls not to go to work at all every Thursday.
In summary, the opposition taking their case to court is evidence that they, no matter individual utterings, have confidence in the legal system and the division of powers and that is the way forward. Leave the streets for traffic – which is bad enough as it is in Kampala – and find the right platform for political debate, all under the premise that everyone, every Ugandan, wants peace, stability and economic progress, no matter the party colours.
