Ugandan election race 'tight'
2006-01-05 20:14
Kampala - The first independent poll published ahead of Ugandan elections next month suggested on Thursday that President Yoweri Museveni would be forced into a run-off with his archrival, opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who was facing treason and terrorism charges.
The survey found that Museveni, who had come under heavy criticism for Besigye's prosecution amid concerns about the state of democracy in Uganda, would take 47% of the vote in the February 23 polls.
That would be better than any of the other four candidates, but not enough to secure victory.
Treason, rape charges
According to the poll commissioned by the independent Monitor newspaper, Besigye, the leader of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change who was this week released on bail pending trials on treason, rape, terrorism and weapons charges, would win 31.9% of the vote.
Without the 50% needed to win outright, Museveni could face Besigye, likely the second-highest polling candidate, in a run-off vote.
However, the poll also showed that if the presidential election was a two-horse race between the men, Museveni would win 45.5% of the vote and Besigye 38.2%.
Museveni's 'dictatorship'
The survey, conducted by the Wilsken Agencies Limited research firm in mid-December, queried 1 207 Ugandans about who they would vote among the five registered candidates for president.
Besigye, whose candidacy would be nullified if he was convicted on any of the counts he faced before criminal and military courts, lost 2001 elections to Museveni amid opposition claims of fraud.
He fled the country after being accused of fomenting a coup, but returned to Uganda in October - vowing to fight Museveni's "dictatorship".
Six weeks later he was arrested. Besigye had denied the charges against him and claimed they were politically motivated, accusations that Museveni had rejected.