Ugandan opposition calls for protests, at last

There’s been a deafening silence from President Yoweri Museveni’s defeated opponent since official results gave the incumbent a 68% victory in elections held last week.

Kizza Besigye lost to Museveni for a third time according to Sunday’s tally. As in previous years Besigye quickly rejected the result and the legitimacy of Museveni’s rule, set to reach three decades by the time he completes his next five-year term. But since then he’s said nothing.

On Thursday Besigye told a new conference in the Ugandan capital, Kampala: “The time is now for the people of Uganda to rise and peacefully protest against the outcome of the 2011 elections.”

During the campaigns Besigye had threatened regime-changing Egypt-style protests but few believe he can rally such support, and with the capital still closely guarded by riot police and soldiers it would be a brave oppositionist who took to the streets against the regime.