Museveni: No Egypt-like revolt during vote

2011-02-17 12:37

Entebbe - Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said he will jail anyone who tries to spark Egypt-style unrest in the country ahead of national elections Friday that are widely expected to see Museveni extend his 25-year grip on power.

"There will be no Egyptian-like revolution here," Museveni told a news conference on Wednesday. "There is nobody who can use extra-constitutional means to take power here. That is out of the question."

In the run-up to the presidential polls, top opposition challenger Kizza Besigye has repeatedly called the vote flawed and threatened street protests if his party's own tally of the results does not match up with the official outcome.

But Museveni said he would clamp down on anyone who tried to start a revolt.

"We would just lock them up," Museveni said. "In the most humane manner possible, bang them into jails and that would be the end of the story."

Museveni, who seized power in 1986 as the head of a guerrilla army, faces Besigye and six other opponents in the run to win a five-year term. Museveni has used a rap song this election period to appeal to Ugandan youth, who are too young to remember any other ruler.

Museveni, who is 66 or 67, said he was expecting "a big win" at the polls, citing the spread of peace and rising economic conditions as reasons for his continued popularity.

He denied opposition accusations that he has been using state funds to bribe voters throughout the campaign trail, insisting that despite 25 years in power he is still the best option for Uganda.

"By the end of these five years Uganda will be a middle-income country and I will not allow Besigye and that crowd to mess up that plan," Museveni said.

- SAPA