Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni welcomed an overwhelming victory on Saturday in a referendum to introduce a multiparty system in the country.

Meeting foreign envoys, Museveni dismissed any suggestion the turnout was very low or that an opposition boycott had worked, and said the option of using parliament to change the political system would have greatly offended most Ugandans.

According to a press release, he told the ambassadors: "As far as the outcome is concerned, I am home and dry."

A diplomat who attended the meeting said the envoys from Britain, the United States, the Netherlands and Norway had told Museveni they were pleased with the result, and hoped the necessary changes to Uganda's laws would be made soon.

When President Museveni took over in 1986, he introduced the movement system.

Over the years President Museveni has passionately argued that the movement system has brought about national unity and the rebuilding of the economy following the wars of the 1970s and early 1980s.

However Museveni's government came under increasing pressure from donors and the opposition politicians demanding that Uganda adopt the multiparty system.

Uganda could not afford to ignore pressure from donors because over 50 per cent of its budget is funded by aid.

Some donor countries such as Britain had already started cutting off aid to the country.

While appearing on a local radio show on Saturday morning the country's National Political Commissar, Crispus Kiyonga expressed his hope that the political parties remain focused on issues of national interest.

He said that the country's parliament have to enact tough guidelines for the political parties to avoid the repeat of the 1960s and 1980s.

Ugandans are now focused on presidential polls next March, which will be contested by political parties.

Museveni is widely expected to stand for re-election after parliament voted to scrap term limits that would have barred him from running again.

The 61-year-old political veteran had already said he wanted another term of office.

Final results from Thursday's referendum showed 92.5 per cent of voters heeded the president's call for a "yes" vote lifting the political restrictions. Officials said 47 per cent of Uganda's 8.5 million registered voters cast ballots.

"We declare that the people of the Republic of Uganda have chosen a multiparty political system henceforth," said Badru Kiggundu, chairman of Uganda's Electoral Commission.

Some observers were privately sceptical about the published turnout, but the commission denied its figures were inflated.

"This is the factual position of the commission and we will defend it anywhere," Kiggundu told a news conference.

(China Daily August 1, 2005)