Presence of age limit violates the constitution- Museveni
President Yoweri Museveni has said that Ugandans should be left to decide how and who should lead them through regular free and fair elections as opposed to constitutional limitations on age.
He said that the presence of age limits for any elective office goes against Article 1 of the 1995 Constitution, the bedrock of that supreme law, which says “Power belongs to the people.”
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“Since Ugandans are the custodians of the Constitution and their country, they should be given the ultimate duty of determining how and who should lead them through regular free and fair elections instead of being merely legalistic,” he said.
“If someone votes, why can’t he be voted for?” President Museveni told Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee which had called on him Tuesday) at State House, Entebbe, to seek his views on the proposed amendment of Article 102(b) of the Constitution.
The committee is scrutinising the private members Bill, presented to Parliament by Hon. Raphael Magyezi, which seeks to scrap the 35 and 75-year lower and upper age limits for candidates seeking the Presidency.
Committee Chairman, Hon. Jacob Oboth Oboth (West Budama South), who led the team of legislators, said they had sought the President’s views as a former Presidential Candidate and leader of a Political Party.
He revealed that President Museveni was the last witness to be interviewed by the Committee, which would then retreat to write its report that will be tabled in Parliament for debate.
At the Tuesday interaction, the MPs asked President Museveni a host of questions surrounding the age limit debate and he comprehensively responded to each of them in a session lasting about two hours.
