![]() | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Opinion polls | |||||||||||||||||
Registered | 15,277,198 | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Presidential election | |||||||||||||||||
Turnout | 67.61% | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
![]() Presidential election results map. Yellow denotes provinces won by Museveni, and Blue denotes those won by Besigye. | |||||||||||||||||
|
![]() |
---|
![]() |
General elections were held in Uganda on 18 February 2016 to elect the President and Parliament. Polling day was declared a national holiday. [1] [2]
Presidential candidates included incumbent Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, Kizza Besigye, [3] who had run against Museveni in 2001, 2006 and 2011, former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, Abed Bwanika who has also challenged Museveni in 2001, 2006 and 2011, former Makerere University Vice Chancellor Venansius Baryamureeba, retired Army General Benon Biraaro, Joseph Mabirizi and former presidential advisor Faith Kyalya. Claims of rigging and violence at polling stations were reported and voting was extended in several locations after reports of people not being allowed to cast their votes. [4] According to the Electoral Commission, Museveni was re-elected with 61% of the vote to Besigye's 35%.
Opposition candidates claimed that the elections were marred by widespread fraud, voting irregularities, the repeated arrest of opposition politicians and a climate of voter intimidation. [5] The European Union and United States have since criticised the election for lack of transparency and detentions of opposition candidates. [6] [7] Overseers from the Commonwealth of Nations were critical of the misuse of state powers in favour of the incumbent.
The President of Uganda was elected using the two-round system, [8] with candidates needing to receive at least 50% of the vote to be elected in the first round. Chapter 142 of the Presidential Elections Act of 2000 of Uganda stipulates that presidential candidates must be a citizen of Uganda by birth, between 35 and 75 years old and be qualified to be an MP. [9] Candidates were also required to be of sound mind and have no formal connection with the Electoral Commission of Uganda. Term limits were abolished in 2005. [10]
Members of the Parliament of Uganda were elected in single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting. In addition, a number of seats were reserved for female candidates. [11] The Parliament elected in 2011 had 375 seats, but voted to increase the number of constituencies to 418 for the 2016 elections. [12]
The elections were supervised by the Electoral Commission of Uganda, which registered 15,277,198 voters. [13]
Eight candidates contested the presidential elections. [1] Four candidates were from a generation called the Bush War revolutionaries, and were part of the guerrilla armies that toppled the previous government in 1986. [14] Yoweri Museveni was running for his seventh term in office in 2016. He took power in 1986 after winning a guerrilla war against President Tito Okello. Museveni has been president for 30 years in a country where 78% of the population was under the age of 30 at the time of the elections. [15] Museveni's main rival was four-time rival Kizza Besigye, who ran under the Forum for Democratic Change ticket and has lost the past three elections against Museveni. Besigye was Museveni's personal physician and a military officer who broke ties with the NRM government in 2001.
Amama Mbabazi, a former Prime minister of Uganda and a founding member of the NRM, ran against the incumbent president under the Go Forward ticket. Mbabazi was sacked as prime minister in 2014 in a power struggle with Museveni. The Go Forward party was part of the Democratic Alliance, an alliance between Mbabazi, the Democratic Party, Uganda Peoples Congress and the Justice Forum (JEEMA). [16] The alliance initially also included the FDC; however, due to disagreements in electing the alliance candidate for the election, the FDC split from the alliance. [17]
Abed Bwanika, a veterinarian, also ran for a third time. The doctor ran under the People's Development Party (PDP) banner. [18] Though it was Bwanika's third time running for the presidency, he had failed to rally much support for his previous campaigns.
Uganda held its first ever televised presidential debate on 15 January 2016. [19] The debate took place at the Serena Hotel in Kampala and was led by BBC Newsday presenter Alan Kasujja and KTN journalist Nancy Kacungira. [20] The presidential debate was attended by all presidential aspirants, except the incumbent president Yoweri Museveni, who was not present. Topics such as Uganda's growing national debt, corruption, education and job creation were at the centre of all candidates' manifestos. [21]
The second presidential debate was held on 13 February 2016 at the Serena hotel. Unlike the first debate, the debate was attended by President Museveni. [22] All eight candidates appeared at the debate, although Joseph Mabirizi arrived at the debate late. The debate was moderated by Dr. Shaka Ssali, who is a host of VOA's Straight Talk Africa, Dr. Joel Serunkuma Kibazo, the director of communications and external relations at the African Development Bank, and Dr. Suzie Muwanga, the head of political science and public administration at Makerere University. [23] Foreign policy, national security and the economy were at the centre of the debate topics. [24]
Pollster | Date | Sample size | Yoweri Museveni NRM | Kizza Besigye FDC | Amama Mbabazi Go Fwd. | Others | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Research World International | 5–8 December 2015 | ~2000 | 59.9% | 21% | 1.9% | 1.3% | 16.1% |
Research World International Archived 2017-07-03 at the Wayback Machine | 19 December 2015–10 January 2016 | ~2000 | 51% | 32% | 12% | 5% | |
Ipsos Uganda | 1–8 February 2016 | ~2000 | 53% | 28% | – | – | – |
Uganda has not seen a single peaceful transition of power in the country since its independence. Many observers believed that post-election demonstrations will occur and many protests will be under the risk of state sanctioned violence.
The New York Times reported that at least two people had been killed and 20 injured in riots during the week of the election. [31]
Museveni was declared the winner on 20 February 2016. Results from the electoral commission showed him with 60.8% of the vote against 35.4% for Besigye. [36] He was sworn in at a ceremony in Kampala on 12 May 2016. [37]
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Yoweri Museveni | National Resistance Movement | 5,971,872 | 60.62 | |
Kizza Besigye | Forum for Democratic Change | 3,508,687 | 35.61 | |
Amama Mbabazi | Go Forward | 136,519 | 1.39 | |
Abed Bwanika | People's Development Party | 89,005 | 0.90 | |
Venansius Baryamureeba | Independent | 52,798 | 0.54 | |
Faith Kyalya | Independent | 42,833 | 0.43 | |
Benon Biraaro | Uganda Farmers Party | 25,600 | 0.26 | |
Joseph Mabirizi | Independent | 24,498 | 0.25 | |
Total | 9,851,812 | 100.00 | ||
Valid votes | 9,851,812 | 95.38 | ||
Invalid/blank votes | 477,319 | 4.62 | ||
Total votes | 10,329,131 | 100.00 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 15,277,198 | 67.61 | ||
Source: EC, EC |
![]() | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Constituency | Women | Seats | |||||||||
Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Appointed | Total | +/– | ||||
National Resistance Movement | 3,945,000 | 48.88 | 199 | 3,566,617 | 48.95 | 84 | 10 | 293 | +30 | |||
Forum for Democratic Change | 1,027,648 | 12.73 | 29 | 929,860 | 12.76 | 7 | 0 | 36 | +2 | |||
Democratic Party | 349,962 | 4.34 | 13 | 246,284 | 3.38 | 2 | 0 | 15 | +3 | |||
Uganda People's Congress | 172,781 | 2.14 | 4 | 236,164 | 3.24 | 2 | 0 | 6 | –4 | |||
Justice Forum | 20,089 | 0.25 | 0 | 16,741 | 0.23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Ugandan Federal Alliance | 18,146 | 0.22 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Conservative Party | 10,792 | 0.13 | 0 | 2,902 | 0.04 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Social Democratic Party | 5,972 | 0.07 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Republican Women and Youth Party | 2,311 | 0.03 | 0 | 8,502 | 0.12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
People's Progressive Party | 2,185 | 0.03 | 0 | 16,720 | 0.23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Uganda Patriotic Movement | 470 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Activist Party | 175 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
Independents | 2,515,163 | 31.16 | 44 | 2,261,897 | 31.05 | 17 | 5 | 66 | +23 | |||
Uganda People's Defence Force | 10 | 10 | 0 | |||||||||
Total | 8,070,694 | 100.00 | 289 | 7,285,687 | 100.00 | 112 | 25 | 426 | +51 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 15,277,198 | – | 15,277,198 | – | ||||||||
Source: EC, Election Passport |
The politics of Uganda occurs in an authoritarian context. Since assuming office in 1986 at the end of the Ugandan civl war, Yoweri Museveni has ruled Uganda as an autocrat. Political parties were banned from 1986 to 2006 in the wake of the 2005 Ugandan multi-party referendum which was won by pro-democracy forces. Since 2006, Museveni has used legal means, patronage, and violence to maintain power.
The history of Uganda comprises the history of the people who inhabited the territory of present-day Uganda before the establishment of the Republic of Uganda, and the history of that country once it was established. Evidence from the Paleolithic era shows humans have inhabited Uganda for at least 50,000 years. The forests of Uganda were gradually cleared for agriculture by people who probably spoke Central Sudanic languages.
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is the autocratic leader of Uganda since 26 January 1986 when he violently took power. After Museveni lost the election of 1980 he started the Ugandan Bush War which caused over a 100.000 deaths and led to the removal of Milton Obote.
The History of Uganda from 1979 to 1986 comprises the history of Uganda since the end of the dictatorship of Idi Amin. This period has seen the second rule of Milton Obote and the presidency of Yoweri Museveni since 1986, in which Ugandan politics have been dominated by the National Resistance Movement.
The National Resistance Movement has been the ruling party in Uganda since 1986.
The Uganda Electoral Commission (EC) 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.
The Forum for Democratic Change, founded on 16 December 2004, is the main opposition party in Uganda. The FDC was founded as an umbrella body called Reform Agenda, mostly for disenchanted former members and followers of President Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Movement (NRM). Party president Kizza Besigye, formerly a close ally of Museveni, was a presidential candidate in 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016 presidential elections. In November 2012, Mugisha Muntu was elected as President of the FDC until November 2017 when he was defeated by Patrick Oboi Amuriat the current party President until 2022.
Human rights in Uganda as a state relates to the difficulties in the achievement of international rights standards for all citizens. These difficulties centre upon the provision of proper sanitation facilities, internal displacement, development of adequate infrastructure, as well as the mistreatment of the LGBT community, women, and children. Nonetheless, Uganda is, as per the Relief Web sponsored Humanitarian Profile – 2012, making considerable developments in this area.
Warren Kizza Besigye Kifefe, known as Colonel. Dr. Kizza Besigye, is a Ugandan physician, politician, and former military officer in the Uganda People's Defence Force. He served as the president of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) political party and was an unsuccessful candidate in Uganda's 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016 presidential elections, losing all of them to the incumbent Yoweri Museveni, who has been President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. The results of the 2006 elections were contested in court, where court found massive rigging and disenfranchisement. He allowed an early internal FDC election for a successor president, which took place on 24 November 2012.
General elections were held in Uganda on 23 February 2006. They were the first multi-party elections since President Yoweri Museveni took over power in 1986, and followed a referendum the previous year on scrapping the ban on party politics.
Abed Bwanika is a Ugandan veterinarian, politician, and pastor. He is the President of the People's Development Party, an opposition political party in Uganda.
Gregory Mugisha Muntuyera, commonly referred to as Mugisha Muntu, is a Ugandan politician and retired military officer. He is the current President of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), a political party he founded in March 2019. He previously served as the President of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), an opposition political party, from 2012 to 2017. In September 2018, General Muntu parted ways with the FDC citing ideological differences with the new FDC leadership of Hon.Patrick Oboi Amuriat. On 27 September 2018 he announced in a televised press conference that he and some other leaders had begun what he called The New Formation which later became the ANT.
Norbert Mao is a Ugandan political activist and lawyer. He has been president of the Democratic Party since 2010, three time presidential candidate and he served as the Local Council 5 chairman for Gulu District. He is the current minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs in the Ugandan government, an office he assumed on 21 July 2022. He was appointed to this position by Yoweri Museveni, the president of the Republic of Uganda. This appointment drew immense criticism from the Democratic Party, an opposition party he is currently serving as president. It was seen as a move by President Museveni to tame the Party and clip its wings to criticize his government.
Presidential elections were held in Uganda on 12 March 2001. The incumbent Yoweri Museveni won 69% of the vote and was elected to a second term. All candidates were independents, as political parties were banned at the time. Voter turnout was 70.3%.
General elections were held in Uganda on 18 February 2011. Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) was re-elected for a third time, having been in power since 1986. The NRM also won 263 of the 375 seats in Parliament.
The Walk to Work protests occurred in Uganda in April 2011, as a reaction to the high cost of living. The protests took place following presidential elections in February 2011, and involved several defeated opposition candidates. The protests were suppressed by the government of Yoweri Museveni, resulting in five deaths.
The People Power, Our Power movement is a resistance pressure group in Uganda. It is led by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, who is the MP for Kyadondo East constituency. The movement seeks to unite Ugandans on issues such as ending human rights abuse, corruption and redefining the rule of law, with a focus on young Ugandans. The movement was primarily sparked by civil unrest with Yoweri Museveni's extended presidency, after he announced plans to extend his third-longest tenure in Africa by seeking re-election in 2021.
The Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), founded on 19 March 2019, is a political party in Uganda.
General elections were held in Uganda on 14 January 2021 to elect the President and the Parliament. The Electoral Commission announced Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, the incumbent ruling since 1986, as the winner with 58.64% of the votes although the U.S. State Department qualified the electoral process as "fundamentally flawed" and Africa Elections Watch said they observed irregularities. The official voter turnout was 57% but is questioned since 409 polling stations have been announced to have 100% voter turnout.
Patrick Oboi Amuriat is an Ugandan engineer, politician and a founding member of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party and ran on its platform for the president of Uganda in the January 2021 presidential election. He served in the Ugandan parliament from 2001 to 2016 and chaired several committees and was a member of Parliamentary Advocacy Forum, PAFO.