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Uganda's former Prime Minister to run for president as independent candidate

Xinhua, August 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

Ugandan former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi on Friday announced that he will run as an independent candidate in the country's presidency in the 2016 polls.

Mbabazi, who was sacked as Prime Minister in September last year, told reporters here that he had quit the race to contest against incumbent president Yoweri Museveni in the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party chairmanship and presidential flag bearer primaries.

"I have decided that I will not stand in NRM as a flag-bearer but I will be nominated as a presidential candidate for 2016 by the National Electoral Commission," said Mbabazi.

Mbabazi has been challenging the legality of the nomination fees imposed by the party, describing it as exorbitant and mortgaging the party to the rich and alienate the poor.

Mbabazi announcement comes barely two months after he announced on June 15, 2015 that he will contest for the East African country's presidency under the ruling party ticket.

President Museveni is expected to pick his nomination forms for the party's flag bearer on Friday, the deadline for picking nomination forms for the party primaries. Enditem