Last campaign rally for President Museveni

(21 Feb 2006) SHOTLIST 1.Various of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni supporters celebrating 2. Close of Museveni effigy 3. Supporter holding up banners 4. Wide of crowd 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Joanne, Museveni supporter "He has been really good democratically, he has been doing fine. Yes, that is what we want: freedom of speech, freedom of press and everything." 6. Military jeep driving through the crowds 7. Museveni waving to the crowd 8. Close of Museveni waving to the crowds 9. Wide of Museveni waving to the crowds STORYLINE President Yoweri Museveni made a final appearance before the upcoming general elections in Uganda, giving a fiercely nationalist speech on Tuesday that blamed opposition members and foreigners for most of the nation's problems. Clad in yellow T-shirts and caps, about 12,000 people gathered in central Kampala to hear Museveni speak without notes for over an hour on a wide range of topics. They chanted his campaign slogan - "No change" - throughout the speech delivered on the last day of campaigning before Thursday's election. Uganda has suffered from severe power shortages, a major issue for residents of Kampala. Museveni told the crowd that opposition members of parliament and "foreign meddlers" blocked the construction of new hydroelectric dams, but that they would not be allowed to do so in the future because changes to the constitution will give the president greater power. He told Ugandans to ignore foreign interference in the country's affairs. Museveni's government has been under pressure from foreign donors since he decided to increase spending on the military and change the constitution so that he could run for president a third time. The Ugandan government depends on foreign nations for nearly half of its budget. European nations suspended more than 25 (m) million US dollars (euro21 million) in support for the government last year over concerns about Uganda's governance. Museveni has been pushing hard in the last days of campaigning. If he does not take more than 50 per cent of the vote, he will likely face leading opposition candidate Kizza Besigye in a run-off. Under Ugandan law, campaigning is banned the day before the election. There were few riot police at Museveni's rally, which was carried live on state-run television, and his supporters were allowed to run through Kampala's streets, a stark contrast to the opposition's final rally on Monday. Besigye, who is the Forum for Democratic Change candidate, cancelled his last campaign event after riot police fired tear gas at hundreds of his supporters and picketed the venue. State-run television did not cover that event. Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for nearly 20 years, decided to run again after supporters changed the constitution to eliminate term limits when multiparty elections were allowed for the first time in 26 years. Human rights groups have accused Museveni's government of harassing the opposition and preventing them from conducting an effective campaign before the elections. Prosecutors have charged Besigye with treason and rape, and government supporters have filed several unsuccessful legal challenges to his candidacy. The latest opinion polls have suggested Museveni is struggling to garner enough votes to win outright in the first round of the ballot, according to the independent Daily Monitor newspaper. A nationwide random survey conducted by the Steadman Group on Feb. 6-11 shows support for Museveni was at 47 per cent, while Besigye had pulled in 36 per cent, the newspaper reported Saturday. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...