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Uganda's president attends first election debate | Uganda's president attends first election debate |
(about 7 hours later) | |
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has taken part in his first televised debate ahead of elections on Thursday. | |
Mr Museveni snubbed Uganda's first pre-election debate last month, saying such events were for schoolchildren. | Mr Museveni snubbed Uganda's first pre-election debate last month, saying such events were for schoolchildren. |
The Ugandan leader, 71, is seeking to extend his 30-year rule by winning a fifth term in government. | The Ugandan leader, 71, is seeking to extend his 30-year rule by winning a fifth term in government. |
The focus of the second debate was foreign policy and national security - considered to be Mr Museveni's strongest points. | |
The first debate focused on domestic issues such as health and education. | |
Most observers thought Mr Museveni maintained his composure and made concise points, the BBC's Catherine Byaruhanga reports from Kampala. | |
However, the moderators were less challenging in this debate. Some analysts wonder whether this was one of Mr Museveni's conditions for attending, our correspondent adds. | |
Mr Museveni said his rivals' allegations of corruption were fiction and also dismissed criticism of his economic policies and the state of the health care system. | |
Eight presidential candidates are contesting Thursday's polls. Ugandans will vote in parliamentary and local elections on the same day. | Eight presidential candidates are contesting Thursday's polls. Ugandans will vote in parliamentary and local elections on the same day. |
For the first time, Mr Museveni and his National Resistance Movement will face two strong opponents. | |
They are Kizza Besigye, the veteran opposition leader, and Amama Mbabazi, a former prime minister and close ally of the president. | They are Kizza Besigye, the veteran opposition leader, and Amama Mbabazi, a former prime minister and close ally of the president. |
Mr Besigya leads the Forum for Democratic Change, while Mr Mbabazi is running as an independent with the GoForward pressure group. | Mr Besigya leads the Forum for Democratic Change, while Mr Mbabazi is running as an independent with the GoForward pressure group. |
Major issues for voters include persistently high unemployment, corruption and the quality of public services. | Major issues for voters include persistently high unemployment, corruption and the quality of public services. |
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