DP rejects Besigye's 2016 election boycott campaign

By Moses Mulondo 

The Democratic Party President Norbert Mao has rejected a proposal by the former FDC leader Dr. Kizza Besigye calling upon the opposition to boycott the 2016 general elections.

“The proposal to boycott 2016 elections is Besigye’s personal proposal. It is not even the consensus of FDC as a party. DP boycotted the 1996 parliamentary elections and we lost most of our constituencies. We don’t want to repeat that mistake,” Mao elaborated.

Addressing a weekly party news conference in Kampala on Tuesday, Mao said it is unlikely that all opposition leaders can accept the boycott proposal.

“A boycott should be a last resort after all other options have failed,” he argued.

The other disadvantage of boycotting Mao gave is the creation of an only NRM parliament which would just be a rubber stamp parliament endorsing all the wishes of the president.

Citing the reconciliation of the different DP factions, Mao said DP is vigorously preparing to win the 2016 elections.

“We are the strongest opposition party in the country. Even those who make protests usually do it surrounded by DP members. We hope even if we fail to remove Museveni, we shall get a big number of MPs in the 2016 elections,” Mao said.

Explaining that it is impossible to vote NRM out of power since it is fused with state institutions, Besigye said the opposition should never participate in elections as long as the NRM government is still in power.

Besigye said after several futile attempts to remove NRM power through elections which he claims were massively rigged, the only ways the NRM government can be removed from power are either through an uprising in protests as it was in Tunisia and Egypt or through an armed rebellion.

About two weeks ago, the FDC NEC chaired by the party president Gen. Mugisha Muntu, made a resolution rejecting Besigye’s boycott campaign.

On the electoral reforms, Mao said the opposition needs a good will of the NRM party for Uganda to have free and fair elections.