Ugandan legislators vote to remove presidential age limit

KAMPALA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan lawmakers late on Wednesday voted on the controversial constitutional amendment bill for the removal of the presidential age limit of 75 years amid tension.

A total of 315 lawmakers mainly from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party voted for the amendment of Article 102 (b) to scrap the presidential age limit of 75 years, which will now allow incumbent President Yoweri Museveni to run in the 2021 elections.

At least 62 legislators, mainly opposition, voted against and two abstained from the bill that now removes a cap that barred any Ugandan citizen below the age of 35 or older than 75 years to hold office of the president in the East African country.

Opposition and campaigners who are opposed to the bill argue that the move by the ruling NRM is intended to allow Museveni, now 73, to run in the 2021 elections when he will be over 75.

The NRM used its numerical strength in Parliament to attain the two-thirds majority, which was 289 lawmakers out of the 434 to pass the new law after the third reading.

"After an extensive and exhausting day, the Constitution Amendment Bill No. 2 (2017) is passed," said Rebecca Kadage, the Speaker of Parliament.

The bill also reinstated and entrenched the two five-year presidential term term limits.

Uganda once had the presidential term limits but were scrapped off in 2005 amid accusations that the move was meant to favor President Museveni.

The legislators also voted to extend their parliamentary and local government term of office from the current five years to seven years, starting with the current term, which was set to expire in 2021.

The bill's tabling, debate and passing has witnessed chaotic scenes, brawls and suspensions in the last three months.

At least 24 opposition lawmakers were in September suspended and violently ejected from the parliamentary chambers by plainclothes security officers. Enditem