Senior Opposition Leaders Form a New Alliance to Guarantee a Stable Political Transition

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Political leaders
Some of the opposition political party leaders. Courtesy photo

Leaders from different opposition political parties have come together to form an alliance with the theme, “Spearheading Constructive Dialogue to Guarantee a Stable Political Transition.”

The leaders from the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED) party, Democratic Party block, JEEMA, Conservative Party (CP), and Justice Forum united to form the Holy Alliance during the Parties Together press conference, which took place on February 27, 2024, at the Jevine Hotel in Rugaba.

The Chairperson of the Holy Alliance, Asuman Basalirwa, stated that the alliance is called holy because it will be holy to reality, good governance, justice, and law, stating that the alliance is unique in such a way that it will have a dialogue for a post-Museveni Uganda.

“We shall have a constructive dialogue that will go beyond political parties and work on people-based issues. The alliance will also make sure that everyone will be involved in the dialogue, including the public at large,” Basalirwa said.

John Ken Lukyamuzi, the President of the Conservative Party, demanded that federal governance be reintroduced in Uganda, stating that it will help reduce the powers of the President since powers will be shared between the Centre and the regions.

“President Museveni is an intellectual but has a phobia for federal governance for fear of reducing his presidential weight. We are surprised about that because the same person is a socialist and a great friend of communist giants like Putin,’’ he said.

Joseph Kabuleeta, a former presidential candidate and the President of the NEED party, said that the government has successfully disempowered Ugandans financially, stating that it’s why Ugandans cannot be confrontational and easy to rule in bad states.

“Ugandans need to be economically empowered with an inclusive economy that will support and develop them. As the Holy Alliance, we look forward to doing that for Ugandans,” Kabuleeta said.

The main demands of the Holy Alliance are the following: land question, electoral reforms, a stable political transition, an immediate constitutional review commission that will involve everyone, and the rationalisation of politics to reduce the powers of the president.