Elections in Uganda

Uganda
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Uganda
Constitution President Yoweri Museveni Vice President Edward Ssekandi Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi Cabinet Parliament Speaker Rebecca Kadaga Supreme Court Political parties Elections: 2006, 2011 Subdivisions Regions Districts Counties Sub-counties Local Council Human rights Foreign relations
Other countries Atlas Politics portal
v t e

Uganda provides national elections for a president and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term. The Parliament is composed of members directly elected to represent constituencies, and one woman representative for every district; as well representatives of special interest groups, including the army, youth, workers and persons with disabilities.

Overview

The first national election in Uganda was the Uganda National Assembly elections of 1962. An alliance between the Uganda People's Congress (UPC) and Kabaka Yekka (KY) won the majority of parliamentary seats, and formed Uganda's first post-independence government with Obote as executive Prime Minister^[1]

A period of dictatorship and political strife, including the tenures of Idi Amin, Yusuf Lule and Godfrey Binaisa, meant no elections were held until the presidential election of December 1980. Obote was pronounced the winner amid bitter dispute and allegations of electoral fraud. Yoweri Museveni, one of the presidential aspirants, declared an armed rebellion, and waged a guerrilla war (the Ugandan Bush War) against the government of Obote. Museveni's National Resistance Army (NRA) took power in 1986 from the government of Gen. Tito Okello Lutwa who had six months earlier toppled Obote's UPC government in a July 27, 1985 military coup, making him President.

Museveni and his National Resistance Movement (NRM) created a form of "no-party democracy", banning political parties from fielding candidates directly in elections.^[2] In the "no-party" presidential election in 1996, Museveni defeated Paul Ssemogerere and Mohamed Mayanja by a landslide. Although international and domestic observers described the vote as valid, both the losing candidates rejected the results.^[2] In the following presidential election, held in 2001, Museveni won by a substantial majority, with Kizza Besigye as the only real challenger. Despite a protest against the results, citing massive voter intimidation and rigging, the outcome was accepted by the Supreme Court of Uganda.

In the 2005 constitutional referendum, Ugandans voted to restore a multi-party political system, lifting the 19-year restriction on the activities of political parties. The Ugandan general election of 2006 were the first multiparty election in 25 years. Museveni won 59% of the presidential vote, and his party, the National Resistance Movement, won the majority of parliamentary seats.

Latest elections (February 2006)

Past elections

General elections December 1980

Presidential elections 1996

Presidential elections 2001

Multiparty referendum 2005

"Do you agree to open up the political space to allow those who wish to join different organisations/ parties to do so to compete for political power?"

Source: [ Uganda Electoral Commission ]

See also

• Electoral calendar
• Electoral system

References

External links

• Museveni's Win in the 2011 Elections: What Does it Mean For Uganda's Politics?
• Uganda Electoral Commission
• Adam Carr's Election Archive
• African Elections Database
• Voter turnout, Gender quotas, Electoral system design and Political party financing in Uganda

v t e Elections and referendums in Uganda Presidential elections 1996 2001 2006 2011 Parliamentary elections 1958 1961 1962 1980 1989 1994 1996 2001 2006 2011 Referendums 2000 2005