Besigye’s PFF rejects Saleh’s proposed democracy agreement

What the report says

The opposition People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), the party associated with jailed opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, has rejected a democracy proposal promoted by Gen Salim Saleh and said it will not join any national dialogue with President Yoweri Museveni’s government unless several conditions are met. The remarks were delivered by PFF acting president Dr Michael Lulume Bayiga, according to The Observer, and come after Saleh said he was seeking a political resolution with Besigye and suggested an outcome could be reached within months.

PFF said any talks must be convened by a neutral party, planned jointly by all sides, include a wide range of stakeholders and be backed by an independent guarantor to oversee implementation. The party argued that a process designed by one side would not amount to meaningful reform and could instead reproduce old power-sharing arrangements without changing the political system. It also questioned whether such proposals amount to genuine reform or simply opportunities for selected opposition figures to enter government.

The party wants broader issues on the table, including constitutional change, political freedoms, reconciliation, institutional independence and free elections. It also called for a transition away from Museveni’s long rule and signaled support for federalism. Separately, PFF linked dialogue to the release of detained opposition figures, including Besigye and others it described as political prisoners, saying reconciliation will be difficult while they remain in custody.