The 80-year-old made announcing late on Saturday that he was interested in “running for president” of his National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
Museveni seized control of the country in 1986 following a five-year civil war, and he has remained in power ever since.
Museveni’s term and age restrictions can now be extended thanks to the NRM’s constitutional amendments, which were amended twice.
He is accused of using state support and dissenting accounts to stifle opposition and bolster his position of authority, which he denies.
Museveni stated that he wants to see re-election in order to “transform Uganda into a $500 billion economy in the next five years.” The country’s current gross domestic product, in the eyes of the government, is just under $66 billion.
In January, Ugandans will elect a president and parliamentarians.
Challenger
Opposition leader Bobi Wine, a former pop star turned politician by the name Robert Kyagulanyi, has confirmed that he will run again. The 2021 results were disqualified by Win because of widespread fraud, ballot tampering, and security forces’ intimidation.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling in January, the court’s decision to allow military courts to try civilians has caused tensions in recent months.
Rights groups and opposition figures claimed the change was a means of intimidating and demonizing critics, despite the government’s insistence that it was necessary to combat threats to national security.
Uganda has used military courts for prosecution of opposition figures and critics of the government for years.
Wine was accused of unlawfully possessing firearms in a military court in 2018. Later, the charges were dropped.
Human Rights Watch has criticised Uganda’s military courts for breaking international standards for judicial independence and fairness.
