The Parliament of Uganda [official website] on Tuesday announced [press release] that President Yoweri Museveni [official website] has assented to a controversial bill [text, PDF] removing the presidential age limit of 75 years.

Section 102 [text] of the Ugandan Constitution had previously required that a candidate for president be between the ages of thirty-five and seventy-five. The latter provision was especially relevant to Museveni, who at 73 would be precluded from seeking another term in 2023 if Section 102(b) remained in effect. By repealing the section in its entirety, both the lower and upper limit on a president’s age have been lifted, meaning that any natural-born citizen of Uganda over the age of 18 and who is eligible to e a member of parliament under Section 80 [text] would be eligible to run for president. Notably, this includes Museveni, who has served as president since 1986.

Although Museveni’s assent was announced by Parliament on Tuesday, the announcement indicates that Museveni signed the measure on December 27.

The bill was approved by Parliament [JURIST report] in December, with 315 votes in favor and only 62 against.