Off the wire
• 1st LD-Writethru: Alibaba expands e-commerce in rural China under gov't support  • Interview: Slowdown in China won't affect its investments in Africa  • Urgent: Explosion occurs in military building in Ankara  • After left-wing parties' entry, Hollande urges gov't coherence to face challenges  • S. Africa's inflation rises to 6.2 percent  • Turkish president says not to stop shelling Kurdish fighters in Syria  • FDI in Bulgaria grows 22.5 pct year-on-year in 2015  • China designs incentives for scientists to translate research into products  • News Analysis: Political tensions impede Maghreb regional integration  • China's deployment of limited defense facilities not related to militarization in South China Sea  
You are here: 　 Home

Profile: Amama Mbabazi, one of eight candidates in Uganda's presidential race

Xinhua, February 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

Uganda will on Thursday hold presidential elections in which a total of eight candidates are vying for the country's top job.

Amama Mbabazi is among the candidates running against incumbent President Yoweri Museveni of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.

Born January 16, 1949 in the southwestern Ugandan district of Kabale, Mbabazi rose through the ranks to the post of Prime Minister and founding member of the NRM.

As a law student at Uganda's top university, Makerere University, in the 1970s and thereafter, Mbabazi was one of the players that helped topple military strongman Idi Amin in 1979.

After the flawed 1980 general elections, Mbabazi was one of the key masterminds of the rebellion that was headed by current President Yoweri Museveni. Museveni waged a five year guerrilla war alleging that the 1980 elections were flawed.

After Museveni captured power in 1986, Mbabazi for the last close to 30 years served in different capacities ranging from head of intelligence agencies to minister. He was Museveni's close confidant for over 40 years.

Mbabazi also played a critical role in the formation of the ruling NRM party.

In September 2014, Mbabazi as Prime Minister fell out with Museveni. Museveni allegedly fired Mbabazi because he had ambitions to run for the presidency come the 2016 general elections. The NRM also accused him of being a divisive leader.

When the 2016 general election processes started last year, Mbabazi declared his presidential ambitions. He based his campaign on the need for a new leader who will cause change, a transition from Museveni's 30-year rule.

Different opinion polls have ranked Mbabazi third after Museveni and Kizza Besigye, another main opposition presidential candidate.

Over 15. 2 million voters are expected to cast their votes, according to the country's Electoral Commission. Endit