Uganda : Uganda MPs brawl over presidential age limit bill for second day
on 2017/10/2 14:04:25
Uganda

Click to see original Image in a new windowScuffles have broken out for a second day at Uganda’s parliament during debates over a highly controversial bill that could potentially grant President Yoweri Museveni another term in office.

Ugandan lawmakers on Wednesday got engaged in physical violence while protesting a proposed age limit amendment bill that would scrap the presidential age limit.

Some MPs exchanged blows and kicks while others used microphone stands as weapons in the brawl; and at least two female lawmakers were carried out of the parliament after collapsing, according to Reuters.

Several lawmakers were forcibly evicted from the parliament following the chaos, which also saw objects being thrown across the legislative chamber.

Uganda’s constitution bars anyone over the age of 75 from standing as a presidential candidate, making the 73-year-old Museveni — who has been in power for more than three decades — ineligible to seek re-election at the next polls in 2021.

Fisticuffs first erupted on Tuesday, prompting Uganda’s communication regulator to ban live broadcasts of the events, which “are inciting the public, discriminating, stirring up hatred, promoting a culture of violence... and are likely to create public insecurity.”

The ban, however, was viewed by critics as a deliberate blackout on opponents of the bill.

Robert Ssempala, with the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda), said banning live broadcasts would “shut out Ugandans and keep them in the dark on the age limit debate.”

Anti-government protests were also staged by students and opposition activists in some parts of the country over the past days, and three local journalists were taken into custody while covering the rallies.

Museveni, who has been at the helm of the country since 1986 and is credited with restoring peace and stability to the African nation, won re-election last year in a poll marred by allegations of vote fraud and intimidation by security forces.

Although he has warned in the past that Africa’s problem was the leaders “who want to overstay in power,” he has lately said he was speaking about unelected African leaders.

Previous article - Next article Printer Friendly Page Send this Story to a Friend Create a PDF from the article


Other articles
2023/7/22 16:36:35 - Uncertainty looms as negotiations on the US-Kenya trade agreement proceeds without a timetable
2023/7/22 14:48:23 - 40 More Countries Want to Join BRICS, Says South Africa
2023/7/18 14:25:04 - South Africa’s Putin problem just got a lot more messy
2023/7/18 14:17:58 - Too Much Noise Over Russia’s Influence In Africa – OpEd
2023/7/18 12:15:08 - Lagos now most expensive state in Nigeria
2023/7/18 11:43:40 - Nigeria Customs Intercepts Arms, Ammunition From US
2023/7/17 17:07:56 - Minister Eli Cohen: Nairobi visit has regional and strategic importance
2023/7/17 17:01:56 - Ruto Outlines Roadmap for Africa to Rival First World Countries
2023/7/17 16:47:30 - African heads of state arrive in Kenya for key meeting
2023/7/12 16:51:54 - Kenya, Iran sign five MoUs as Ruto rolls out red carpet for Raisi
2023/7/12 16:46:35 - Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Gupta Travels to Kenya and Rwanda
2023/7/2 15:57:52 - We Will Protect Water Catchments
2023/7/2 15:53:49 - Kenya records slight improvement in global peace ranking
2023/7/2 14:33:37 - South Sudan, South Africa forge joint efforts for peace in Sudan
2023/7/2 13:08:02 - Tinubu Ready To Assume Leadership Role In Africa
2023/7/2 11:50:34 - CDP ranks Nigeria, others low in zero-emission race
2023/6/19 16:30:00 - South Africa's Ramaphosa tells Putin Ukraine war must end
2023/6/17 16:30:20 - World Bank approves Sh45bn for Kenya Urban Programme
2023/6/17 16:25:47 - Sudan's military govt rejects Kenyan President Ruto as chief peace negotiatorThe Sudanese military government of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has rejected Kenyan President William Ruto's leadership of the "Troika on Sudan."
2023/6/17 16:21:15 - Kenya Sells Record 2.2m Tonnes of Carbon Credits to Saudi Firms

The comments are owned by the author. We aren't responsible for their content.