Kizza Besigye

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Kizza Besigye on a 2011 election poster

Kizza Besigye (born April 22, 1956 in Rukungiri ) is a Ugandan politician .

Life

Besigye's parents died when he was a child. Nevertheless, in 1980 he managed to successfully complete his medical studies at Makerere University in Kampala . He first worked in the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi ( Kenya ), but then devoted himself to his military training and joined the National Resistance Army (NRA).

Together with the later President Yoweri Museveni , he fought from 1980 to 1986 against President Milton Obote , which ended with Museveni's takeover. Besigye received the post of Minister of Internal Affairs. In the following years he held several political offices and in 2001 he finally held the rank of colonel and was chief adviser to the Ministry of Defense.

Besigye lost his first candidacy against his then comrade-in-arms Museveni on March 12, 2001 with 27.8 percent to 69.3 percent. However, the election is described as manipulated by various sides. In addition, his first candidacy ended the friendship between the two men. Kizza Besigye went into exile in South Africa in 2001 .

Besigye is still his country's opposition leader and returned to Uganda from exile at the end of November 2005 to run in the presidential election on February 23, 2006 . Musevenis had him arrested on November 14th in Kampala for alleged treason and the rape of a then 20-year-old in 1997 or 1998. On February 1, the Supreme Court of Uganda told the military proceedings against Besigye unconstitutional in parallel rape trial jury later recommended a one day acquittal .

The incumbent president accuses him of requesting support from Rwanda , the Congo and rebels in Sudan to overthrow him.

This accusation is considered unreliable by the foreign media, as Besigye is president of the Forum for Democracy and Change (FDC), an alliance of Ugandan opposition groups. Besigye was provisionally released on January 2, 2006, while the trial continued. On election day, however, he was only able to win 37.36 percent of the vote, so Museveni remained in office.

In the parliamentary and presidential elections in February 2011, Besigye was again defeated by his political opponent Museveni. Besigye received 26% of the vote and Museveni 68%.

In the 2016 presidential elections, Besigye again lost to his political opponent Museveni. Besigye received 35.4% of the vote and Museveni 60.8%.

Besigye was arrested on May 11, 2016 and charged with treason on May 14 . In protest against the swearing-in for President Museveni's fifth term, Besigye disregarded the current ban on demonstrations and organized his own inauguration ceremony.

He has been married to Winnie Byanyima since 1998 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Museveni's Uganda: Eternal Subscription for Power?", In: KAS-International Reports, Sankt Augustin, May 16, 2011, http://www.kas.de/uganda/en/publications/22804/

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Besigye, Nice
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ugandan politician, leader of the Uganda opposition
DATE OF BIRTH April 22, 1956
PLACE OF BIRTH Rukungiri