| Uganda |
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Uganda is a presidential republic, in which the President of Uganda is both head of state and head of government; there is a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. The system is based on a democratic parliamentary system with universal suffrage for all citizens over 18 of years age. In a measure ostensibly designed to reduce sectarian violence, political parties were restricted in their activities from 1986. In the non-party "Movement" system instituted by the current president Yoweri Museveni, political parties continued to exist but could not campaign in elections or field candidates directly (although electoral candidates could belong to political parties). A constitutional referendum cancelled this 19-year ban on multi-party politics in July 2005.
The presidential elections were held in February 2006. Museveni ran against several candidates, of whom the most prominent was the exiled Dr. Kizza Besigye. Museveni was declared the winner. Besigye alleged fraud, and rejected the result. The Supreme Court of Uganda ruled that the election was marred by intimidation, violence, voter disenfranchisement, and other irregularities. However, the Court voted 4-3 to uphold the results of the election.[1]
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| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Yoweri Museveni | National Resistance Movement | 26 January 1986 |
| Vice President | Edward Ssekandi | National Resistance Movement | 24 May 2011 |
| Prime Minister | Amama Mbabazi | National Resistance Movement | 24 May 2011 |
The head of state in Uganda is the President, who is elected by a popular vote to a five-year term. This is currently Yoweri Museveni, who is also the head of the armed forces. The previous presidential elections were in February 2006 and in the election of February 2011 Museveni was elected with 68% of the vote. The cabinet is appointed by the president from among the elected legislators. The prime minister, currently Apolo Nsibambi, assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet.
The Cabinet of Uganda, according to the Constitution of Uganda, "shall consist of the President, the Vice President and such number of Ministers as may appear to the President to be reasonably necessary for the efficient running of the State."[2][3]
The National Assembly has 332 members. 215 members are elected directly - via universal adult suffrage - in single-seat constituencies. In addition, each of Uganda's 79 (soon to be 80) districts elects a Woman Representative via a direct vote, and 25 MPs are selected from so-called "special interest" groups via a complicated regional electoral college system. These special interest MPs include ten representatives of the UPDF (Uganda's Armed Forces), 5 youth representatives, 5 representatives of people with disabilities and 5 representing workers. Uganda's Parliamentary elections were held in March 2006, and the next will be contested in 2011.
On 4 May 2005, the Ugandan Parliament voted to conduct a referendum on the reintroduction of party politics in Uganda. The referendum was held on July 28, 2005 and Ugandans voted for a return to multi-party politics.
| Candidates - nominating parties | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yoweri Museveni - National Resistance Movement | 4,109,449 | 59.26 |
| Kizza Besigye - Forum for Democratic Change | 2,592,954 | 37.39 |
| John Ssebaana Kizito - Democratic Party | 109,583 | 1.58 |
| Abed Bwanika - Independent | 65,874 | 0.95 |
| Miria Obote - Uganda People's Congress | 57,071 | 0.82 |
| Total | 6,934,931 | 100.00 |
| Source: New Vision newspaper, Electoral Commission of Uganda | ||
| Parties | Votes | % | Constituency seats |
District woman reps. |
Indirect seats |
Total seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Resistance Movement | 142 | 49 | 14 | 205 | ||
| Forum for Democratic Change | 27 | 10 | - | 37 | ||
| Uganda People's Congress | 9 | - | - | 9 | ||
| Democratic Party | 8 | - | - | 8 | ||
| Conservative Party | 1 | - | - | 1 | ||
| Justice Forum | 1 | - | - | 1 | ||
| Independents | 26 | 10 | 1 | 37 | ||
| Vacant | 1 | - | - | 1 | ||
| Uganda People's Defence Force Representatives | 10 | |||||
| Ex-officio members | 10 | |||||
| Total (turnout 72 %) | 215 | 69 | 15 | 319 | ||
| Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union | ||||||
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Note on the Distribution of seats: |
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The Ugandan judiciary operates as an independent branch of government and consists of magistrate's courts, high courts, courts of appeal, and the Supreme Court. Judges for the High Court are appointed by the president; Judges for the Court of Appeal are appointed by the president and approved by the legislature.
The Ugandan constitution was adopted on October 8, 1995 by the interim, 284-member Constituent Assembly, charged with debating the draft constitution that had been proposed in May 1993. Uganda's legal system since 1995 has been based on English common law and African customary law (customary law is in effect only when it does not conflict with statutory law). Law enforcement policy is decided by the Police Council, with a special force in charge of suppressing cattle theft. The system accepts compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction, with reservations.
A fight between Ugandan and Libyan presidential guards sparked chaos during a ceremony attended by the heads of state from 11 African nations on March 19, 2008.[2]
ACP, AfDB, C, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
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