POPULAR MANDATE: Michel (right) tours camps in Gulu
By Cyprian Musoke
IT does not matter how long a president stays in power as long as he still has the popular mandate, a European Union commissioner (EU) has said.
The EU commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, Louis Michel, was addressing the press at Sheraton hotel Kampala on Thursday night.
Michel, who had earlier met President Yoweri Museveni at State house Nakasero, said free and fair elections in a multi-party setting were more important.
He was responding to questions on whether Museveni had hinted on whether he would retire when his constitutional term expires.
Michel said popularity of a person, nature of the electorate and the fairness of the elections mattered most.
âI was elected for 30 years. I had seven or eight terms. Of course nobody doesnât find this abnormal. I am just a popular guy,â he said, in reference to his former position as deputy Premier of Belgium.
âYou need a loyal, free and fair election, but it ultimately depends on the people, the candidate, and fairness of the elections,â he said.
He said they talked about the White paper, democracy, multi-partism and the Uganda-Rwanda relationship.
Michel said he told Museveni that multipartyism was an active condition for democracy, âto which the President seemed to agreeâ.
Michel, who had just concluded a visit to northern Uganda, wondered why the international community had ignored the situation there.
He said Betty Bigombe, the chief mediator in the peace talks, assured him that there was an opportunity to end the war, and requested for more funds from the EU.
Michel said the EU alone could not deliver all the assistance needed for the war. He asked others to join the struggle.
He said the EU would finance road infrastructure to make sure that the people in the camps returned to their homes to till their land.
Published on: Saturday, 18th December, 2004
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