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The politics of Uganda occurs in an authoritarian context. Since assuming office in 1986 at the end of the Ugandan civil war, Yoweri Museveni has ruled Uganda as an autocrat.^[1][2] 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.^[1] Since 2006, Museveni has used legal means, patronage, and violence to maintain power.^[1]

Under the Uganda constitution, Uganda is a presidential republic in which the President is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government business. There is a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is given to both the government and the National Assembly. The system is based on a democratic parliamentary system with equal rights for all citizens over 18 years of age. The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Uganda a "hybrid regime" in 2022.^[3]

Political culture

Idi Amin, one of the most notable of Ugandan presidents.

After taking power after a five-year civil war in 1986, the authoritarian Yoweri Museveni regime banned political parties from campaigning in elections or field candidates directly (although electoral candidates could belong to political parties). A constitutional referendum canceled this 19-year ban on multi-party politics in July 2005.

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.^[4]

Executive

Yoweri Museveni, current President of Uganda.

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 2011, and in the election of February 2016, Museveni was elected with 68 percent of the vote. The cabinet is appointed by the president from among the elected legislators. The prime minister, Robina Nabbanja, 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."^[5][6]

Political parties and elections

Presidential elections

The structure of Uganda's government.

The most recent presidential elections in Uganda were held on 14 January 2021 featuring 11 aspirants comprising 10 men and 1 woman.

The announced but contested results are as follows;

Candidates' Names	Votes	Percentage
Amuriat Oboi Patrick	337,589	3.26%
Kabuleta Kiiza Joseph	45,424	0.44%
Kalembe Nancy Linda	38,772	0.37%
Katumba John	37,554	0.36%
Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu	3,631,437	35.08%
Mao Norbert	57,682	0.56%
Mayambala Willy	15,014	0.15%
Mugisha Muntu Gregg	67,574	0.65%
Mwesigye Fred	25,483	0.25%
Tumukunde Henry Kakurugu	51,392	0.50%
Yoweri Museveni	6,042,898	58.38%
Invalid Votes	393,500	3.66%
Valid Votes	10,350,819

Source: Uganda Electoral Commission^[8]

In 2021, the pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine (also known as Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu), challenged the election results in the country's highest court (Supreme Court) seeking to over-turn Museveni's victory.^[9] The highly contested elections was marred with violence, the European Parliament voiced outrage, condemnation and for sanctions against individuals and organisations responsible for human rights violations in Uganda.^[10]

The results of the most recent presidential election from 2021 are as below:

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Yoweri Museveni	National Resistance Movement	6,042,898	58.38
	Bobi Wine	National Unity Platform	3,631,437	35.08
	Patrick Amuriat	Forum for Democratic Change	337,589	3.26
	Mugisha Muntu	Alliance for National Transformation	67,574	0.65
	Norbert Mao	Democratic Party	57,682	0.56
	Henry Tumukunde	Independent	51,392	0.50
	Joseph Kabuleta	Independent	45,424	0.44
	Nancy Kalembe	Independent	38,772	0.37
	John Katumba	Independent	37,554	0.36
	Fred Mwesigye	Independent	25,483	0.25
	Willy Mayambala	Independent	15,014	0.15
Total			10,350,819	100.00
Valid votes			10,350,819	96.34
Invalid/blank votes			393,500	3.66
Total votes			10,744,319	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			18,103,603	59.35
Source: ECU

Parliamentary elections

The results of the most recent parliamentary election from 2021 are as below:

Party		Constituency			Women			Seats
		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Appointed	Total	+/–
	National Resistance Movement	4,158,934	41.60	218	4,532,814	44.81	101	17	336	+42
	National Unity Platform	1,347,929	13.48	43	1,607,425	15.89	14	0	57	New
	Forum for Democratic Change	729,247	7.29	24	674,154	6.66	8	0	32	–4
	Democratic Party	245,248	2.45	8	181,364	1.79	1	0	9	–6
	Uganda People's Congress	180,313	1.80	7	229,884	2.27	2	0	9	+3
	Alliance for National Transformation	72,018	0.72	0	82,318	0.81	0	0	0	New
	Justice Forum	24,843	0.25	1	22,625	0.22	0	0	1	+1
	People's Progressive Party	10,076	0.10	1				0	1	+1
	Uganda Economic Party	6,199	0.06	0				0	0	New
	Ecological Party of Uganda	4,287	0.04	0				0	0	New
	Conservative Party	1,071	0.01	0				0	0	0
	Social Democratic Party	719	0.01	0				0	0	0
	Forum for Integrity in Leadership	122	0.00	0				0	0	New
	Congress Service Volunteers Organisation	68	0.00	0				0	0	New
	Independents	3,217,480	32.18	51	2,785,676	27.54	20	3	74	+8
Uganda People's Defence Force								10	10	0
Total		9,998,554	100.00	353	10,116,260	100.00	146	30	529	+103
Source: Electoral Commission

Judiciary

The Ugandan judiciary operates as an independent branch of government and consists of magistrate's courts, high courts, courts of appeal (which organizes itself as the Constitutional Court of Uganda when hearing constitutional issues), 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.

Foreign relations

A fight between the Ugandan and Libyan presidential guards sparked chaos during a ceremony attended by the heads of state from 11 African nations on March 19, 2008.^[11]

International organization participation

See also

• List of government ministries of Uganda
• Cabinet of Uganda
• Parliament of Uganda
• Supreme Court of Uganda

References

Sources

• Uganda's opposition join forces (BBC News, 16 February 2004)
• "Uganda 'night commuters' flee rebel brutality" (Yahoo News, October 17, 2005)
• Tripp, Aili Mari, Museveni’s Uganda: Paradoxes of Power in a Hybrid Regime, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2010.

External links

• Parliament of Uganda
• State House of Uganda
• Constitution of the Republic of Uganda
• Party Politics in Uganda, 1963-2000, Christina Nyströmee
• Uganda Government at Curlie