Museveni Opens Parliament, Questions Invalid Votes and Warns Incompetent Ministers

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni officially opened the 12th Parliament, commending the peaceful and transparent election of its Speaker and Deputy Speaker. Addressing the inaugural session on Sunday, Museveni congratulated the newly elected officials and Members of Parliament, characterizing the process as a reflection of democratic maturity.

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The smooth exercise reflected the maturity of Parliament.

However, the President raised concerns regarding the handling of invalid votes during the election of presiding officers. He questioned the interpretation of voter intentions, noting that some ballots were wrongly declared invalid despite clear intent. Museveni cited this issue as a reason for numerous invalid votes in past general elections, suggesting a need for improved electoral procedures.

Museveni also highlighted the ruling National Resistance Movement's (NRM) continued broad support, pointing out that the elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker received more votes than the total number of NRM MPs. He expressed disappointment that Norbert Mao of the Democratic Party and Sarah Aguti Nyangkori of the Uganda People's Congress participated in the race, potentially drawing support away from NRM-backed candidates despite their parties' cooperation agreements.

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This is the reason we have had hundreds of invalid votes declared in general elections.

Looking ahead, President Museveni issued a stern warning to ministers, vowing to dismiss those who prove incompetent and fail to deliver on public expectations. He stressed that government officials would be increasingly evaluated based on their ability to implement programs aimed at improving household incomes and driving economic transformation. The president also briefly explained his absence from Arsenal F.C.'s Premier League celebration.

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In this term, I am going to be tough on leaders who betray the people they lead. I will sack all ministers who prove to be incompetent.