Uganda's presidential campaigns close, top rivals predict win
Date 2011/2/17 13:10:48 | Topic: Uganda
| 20110217
Xinhua
ENTEBBE, Uganda Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's presidential campaigns closed on Wednesday with incumbent President Yoweri Museveni predicting to win the elections with a landslide victory.
Museveni told reporters here that his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) will have a big win.
Previously he has predicted winning by over 80 percent.
"Certainly it will be a big win .. For us we have already carried out a census, we know we shall win with a big majority," he told reporters here, 40 km south of the capital Kampala.
However his main rival and former physician Kizza Besigye said in a statement that he will win the vote by 60 percent.
"Our winning will not be as a result of the fairness of the system but rather our capability to counteract steadily," he said, urging his supporters not to engage in any act of violence but firmly challenge all malpractices or cheating.
Besigye and Museveni are among the eight presidential candidates vying for the country's top job.
Recent opinion polls have predicted that Museveni who has been in power for 25 years is likely to win.
This is the third time Besigye is running against Museveni. The first two elections, 2006 and 2001, Besigye lost the elections and appealed to the Supreme Court to annul the results citing electoral malpractices.
In both incidents, the Court declined to annul the results although it acknowledged that electoral malpractices occurred.
This time Besigye said if he loses, he will not go back to court but it would be up to the people of Uganda to determine the next step.
Security agencies have interpreted Besigye's statements as meaning that he is calling for mass protests, a move they say will not be tolerated.
Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, Inspector General of Police told local and foreign observers on Tuesday that police has already beefed up security countrywide to deal with any acts of violence.
He said in case police needs extra support, it will call in the military to beef up its strength.
Museveni told reporters here on Wednesday that anyone who dare causes violence, he or she will be bungled up and thrown to jail.
He dismissed fears that Egyptian or Tunisian style protests may erupt during the elections.
"There is no body who can use extra constitutional means to take power here, that one is out of the question," he said.
Besigye however said that the heavy deployment intended to psychologically demoralize his supporters.
"No one should be intimidated by the heavy police and military deployment, rather turnout in large numbers and vote peacefully and freely," he said.
According to observers, the presidential campaigns which started in October last year have been generally peaceful in comparison to the ones held in 2006 and 2001.
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