Uganda: Vice President disqualifies himself from presidentship

(SomaliNet) Uganda’s Vice President Gilbert Bukenya has disqualified himself as a possible successor to Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni.

This was disclosed in a statement from the VPs office saying:\"Professor Bukenya has no ambitions of becoming President,\" In effect Prof Bukenya has ruled himself out of the race for the possible succession to Mr Museveni, which was highly speculated.

The statement was, however, silent on what happens to the Vice President\'s constitutional duties if the President were incapacitated.

Under article 109 of the Constitution Prof Bukenya as the VP, is the automatic successor to the President if the President \"dies, resigns or is removed from office\" under the same constitution\".

It\'s unclear if Prof Bukenya\'s declaration extends to these constitutional responsibilities imposed on the holder of his office.
The VP and his place in the succession queue have been a subject of on and off debates.

Because of the country\'s delicate ethnic and religious sensitivities, it is generally believed that the NRM would not nominate another Anglican flag bearer from western region after the incumbent will have ruled the country for a quarter of a century by next elections in 2011.

Bukenya being a Catholic from central region has been viewed as a possible successor who already enjoys the advantages of high-level exposure in his status as Number Two for several years.

His anti-poverty campaigns have earned him admiration across the country and he comes across as a nationalist who is above sectarianism.

The statement ruling the VP from the succession queue came in response to a publication by a Ugandan Paper which suggested he had secretly launched his own succession bid.-Monitor