Description of Electoral System:

(courtesy of IFES election guide)

The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term. In the National Assembly, 214 members are elected by direct popular vote, 81 members are nominated by legally established special interest groups, and 10 members are ex officio; all serve 5-year terms.Of the special interest group members, there are 56 Women Representatives representing each district.

Electoral Systems Snapshot

(Courtesy of International IDEA)

*Click on links for definitions

WANT MORE ELECTION RELATED STATS FOR UGANDA? Go to "election databases" on the left-hand menu of this page OR comparative data on the right-hand menu and choose your area of interest.

Most recent election

(courtesy of wikipedia)

The Ugandan general election of 2006 took place on February 23, 2006. This was the first multiparty election since Yoweri Museveni, the current president, took over power in 1986. Six candidates contested for the Presidential office, and at least 33 parties were expected to enter the Parliamentary and District chairperson elections.

Yoweri Museveni ran for re-election. His main opponent the leader of the opposition party Forum for Democratic Change, Kizza Besigye. Besigye was arrested on November 14, 2005 on allegations of treason, concealment of treason, and rape. The treason case included his alleged links to the rebel groups, Lord's Resistance Army and People's Redemption Army, and the rape charge referred to an incident in November 1997 allegedly involving the daughter of a friend. The arrest led to demonstrations and riots in Kampala and towns around the country. Pro-Besigye protesters believed the charges were fabricated to stop Besigye from challenging Museveni.

Official figures released on February 25, 2006 showed Museveni had won 59% of the vote, giving him a third term as President, while main rival Kizza Besigye took 37%. Opposition supporters in Kampala staged some protests but were dispersed by riot police with tear gas. On 6 April, the Supreme Court of Uganda rejected Besigye's request to dismiss the poll by a vote of four to three, though a majority agreed that there had been electoral irregularities.