Seven candidates hoping to unseat Museveni as Uganda decides today

Millions of voters in Uganda will today decide whether to give President Yoweri Museveni a fifth term or elect an opposition candidate and have a new leader for the first time since 1986. The main opposition candidate Kizza Besigye, of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), along with other six contenders are challenging the incumbent […]

Millions of voters in Uganda will today decide whether to give President Yoweri Museveni a fifth term or elect an opposition candidate and have a new leader for the first time since 1986.
The main opposition candidate Kizza Besigye, of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), along with other six contenders are challenging the incumbent Museveni, 71, hoping to end his three-decade rule.
Today’s election makes Besigye’s fourth attempt to unseat Museveni, his best performance so far being the 37 percent he won in 2006.
The candidate considered to be in third place is Amama Mbabazi, 67, a former prime minister to Museveni who is running as an independent. He abandoned the party he helped build after being denied anointment as Museveni’s successor.
Abed Bwanika, 48, of the People’s Development Party (PDP) has made two unsuccessful runs for the presidency, garnering just over half a percentage point in 2011.
Venansius Baryamureeba is a 47-year-old computer scientist, teacher and independent candidate. Benon Biraro, 57 and a retired soldier, runs the Uganda Farmers’ Party.
Maureen Kyalya, 41, is the only female candidate and is making her first step on the national stage in 2016 as an independent, having worked in local politics in the east of the country.
Joseph Mabirizi, 40, is the youngest candidate and has campaigned as an independent on an anti-corruption platform.