UGANDA: Museveni sets priorities after re-election

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

KAMPALA, 27 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - President Yoweri Museveni, who won Uganda's first multiparty presidential and parliamentary elections in 26 years, has outlined his priorities for the next five years.

According to final results announced by the electoral commission on Saturday, Museveni, who has been in power for 20 years, won 59 percent of the votes. His main challenger, Kizza Besigye, won 37 percent.

"In the coming five years, we are going actually to take off and jump and fly because the basics are there," said the 62-year-old former guerrilla leader in a national address after winning the elections.

Among the priorities, he said, were energy provision to offset severe power shortages across the country, improvement of road infrastructure, poverty eradication, implementation of micro-finance schemes for small-business owners and disarmament of armed groups.

"The conflict in the north has been finished. We have defeated Kony," he added. "Uganda, therefore, will be totally peaceful and concentrate on development."

The conflict between Museveni's government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army has lasted almost the entire period of Museveni's rule. It has displaced at least 1.5 million people from their homes and forced them to live in camps.

Of the other three candidates, John Ssebaana Kizito of the Democratic Party won 1.5 percent; Abed Bwanika, who stood as an independent, won 1 percent; and Miria Obote of the Uganda People's Congress party won 0.6 percent.

Museveni's party, the National Resistance Movement Organisation, also won most of the parliamentary seats in the western region; Besigye's Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) won most seats in the north.

FDC officials have disputed the results, complaining of massive irregularities. Observers said that while the incumbent administration did have a certain advantage, the process was largely transparent.

"The electoral process experienced a number of problems. The pre-election and campaign period was dominated by controversial accusations and court cases brought against Besigye," Max Van den Berg, head of the European Union election observers, told reporters in the capital, Kampala.

"The current president and his party utilised state resources in support of their campaign," he added. "Therefore, a level playing field was not in place for these elections."

[ENDS]