Col. BESIGYE goes to court over results
Feb 28, 2006
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is going to court to challenge the outcome of the 2006 elections.
Complaints: - Fraud and bribery - Disenfranchised supporters - Falsification of results - Election Act breached
By Charles Etukuri and Anne Mugisa
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is going to court to challenge the outcome of the 2006 elections.
The party has released its provisional results from 47 districts indicating 51% against President Yoweri Museveni’s 49%.
Addressing a press conference yesterday at the FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi, FDC president Dr. Kizza Besigye said his lawyers had prepared a petition and were going to court within 10 days. Besigye also refuted claims that he was planning to flee the country.
“Without doubt, I will not only stay in the country but stay very vigorously,†he said. He said unlike the 2001 petition which showed the rigging, this one would show the extent of the effect of the vote rigging in the election.
“We demonstrated the level of violence and cheating but we did not demonstrate the effect of those malpractices. We are now focused on demonstrating the effect of those practices,†Besigye, who was flanked by FDC officials Sulaiman Kiggundu, Wafula Ogutu and Sam Akaki, said.
He said they had collected at least 50% of their evidence and expected to collect at least 90% by the end of the week.
“We have only 10 days in which to assemble evidence through the whole country and petition. We are determined to go into it even knowing the threat and the unlikelihood of the court to resist intimidation. We are aware of all this but I think we have a duty to show the country and the world what has happened here,†he said.
He said President Yoweri Museveni exceeded the need for a re-run by only 600,000 votes and the FDC would show that the stolen votes far exceeded that.
He said FDC had a tally centre and was still collecting data of the results declared at the polling stations witnessed by party agents.
He said their centre was established not to publish parallel results but to give the party the basis of challenging the Electoral Commission (EC) results.
He condemned the dismal performance of the EC in the February 23 elections, adding that the commission should redeem itself during the local elections by addressing the raised concerns.
Besigye said FDC would continue pressing for a change agenda. “Whether we form a government, which we still believe we shall do, or whether we don’t, we shall remain firmly focused on our agenda for change in this country,†he said.
Besigye also criticised the government and security officials, including Police chief Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, for accusing his party supporters of violence. He said the accusations were intended to prepare ground for further harassment of FDC supporters. “You will recall that similar tactics were used soon after the 2001 elections, when Kampala was rocked by a series of bomb attacks and it was claimed, as it is now, that the election losers, referring to me at that time, were responsible for the bombs that rocked the city,†he said.
He said despite that, the Movement would not deter them from working for the creation of a new Uganda. He asked his supporters to remain calm and be certain that their political struggle had intensified.
He commended them for being brave in the face of harassment. Asked why he was now saying there was rigging when he had earlier said that it would not happen because his party was vigilant, Besigye said, “I am not God to say that there will be no rigging. I can only say that we can do everything within our power to contain and deal with the rigging but I can’t stop the EC from falsifying the results, neither can I stop the military from arresting our agents and thereafter stuffing the ballot boxes,†Besigye said.
Ends
By Charles Etukuri and Anne Mugisa
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is going to court to challenge the outcome of the 2006 elections.
The party has released its provisional results from 47 districts indicating 51% against President Yoweri Museveni’s 49%.
Addressing a press conference yesterday at the FDC headquarters in Najjanankumbi, FDC president Dr. Kizza Besigye said his lawyers had prepared a petition and were going to court within 10 days. Besigye also refuted claims that he was planning to flee the country.
“Without doubt, I will not only stay in the country but stay very vigorously,†he said. He said unlike the 2001 petition which showed the rigging, this one would show the extent of the effect of the vote rigging in the election.
“We demonstrated the level of violence and cheating but we did not demonstrate the effect of those malpractices. We are now focused on demonstrating the effect of those practices,†Besigye, who was flanked by FDC officials Sulaiman Kiggundu, Wafula Ogutu and Sam Akaki, said.
He said they had collected at least 50% of their evidence and expected to collect at least 90% by the end of the week.
“We have only 10 days in which to assemble evidence through the whole country and petition. We are determined to go into it even knowing the threat and the unlikelihood of the court to resist intimidation. We are aware of all this but I think we have a duty to show the country and the world what has happened here,†he said.
He said President Yoweri Museveni exceeded the need for a re-run by only 600,000 votes and the FDC would show that the stolen votes far exceeded that.
He said FDC had a tally centre and was still collecting data of the results declared at the polling stations witnessed by party agents.
He said their centre was established not to publish parallel results but to give the party the basis of challenging the Electoral Commission (EC) results.
He condemned the dismal performance of the EC in the February 23 elections, adding that the commission should redeem itself during the local elections by addressing the raised concerns.
Besigye said FDC would continue pressing for a change agenda. “Whether we form a government, which we still believe we shall do, or whether we don’t, we shall remain firmly focused on our agenda for change in this country,†he said.
Besigye also criticised the government and security officials, including Police chief Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, for accusing his party supporters of violence. He said the accusations were intended to prepare ground for further harassment of FDC supporters. “You will recall that similar tactics were used soon after the 2001 elections, when Kampala was rocked by a series of bomb attacks and it was claimed, as it is now, that the election losers, referring to me at that time, were responsible for the bombs that rocked the city,†he said.
He said despite that, the Movement would not deter them from working for the creation of a new Uganda. He asked his supporters to remain calm and be certain that their political struggle had intensified.
He commended them for being brave in the face of harassment. Asked why he was now saying there was rigging when he had earlier said that it would not happen because his party was vigilant, Besigye said, “I am not God to say that there will be no rigging. I can only say that we can do everything within our power to contain and deal with the rigging but I can’t stop the EC from falsifying the results, neither can I stop the military from arresting our agents and thereafter stuffing the ballot boxes,†Besigye said.
Ends