Uganda - Politics

Elections under the ‘movement system’ (see ‘Constitution’) were held in May and June 1996 (presidential and parliamentary) and June 1998 (local government). Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was returned as president with 75% of the votes. The national assembly of 276 members, sitting as individuals (although many of them with known political affiliations), was formed in July 1996.

In June 2000, as required by the constitution, a referendum was held on the movement system and 91% of voters supported its continuation; voter turnout was 47%.

In the presidential election in March 2001, Museveni took 69% of the votes to win a further five-year term. Though the result was decisive, the election had been vigorously contested between Museveni and a former National Resistance Movement (NRM) colleague, Dr Kizza Besigye (28%).

In the parliamentary elections in June 2001, more than 50 members were defeated – including ten cabinet ministers. There were allegations from one monitoring group that the NRM endorsed and campaigned on behalf of individual candidates.

Amid growing support for political pluralism, from within and without the NRM, a law enacted in June 2002 restricted party political activities to Kampala, barred civil servants and members of the security forces from joining parties other than NRM, and gave parties six months to register as a company, which the main parties immediately refused to do.

However, during 2003 Museveni publicly committed himself to the reintroduction of multiparty politics before the elections due in 2006, subject to a referendum in July 2005, in which, with the opposition calling for a boycott, fewer than 50% of voters turned out to vote overwhelmingly in favour.

In 2004 Museveni announced that he had retired from the army, while remaining army commander-in-chief. This opened the way for him to participate in multiparty politics. During 2005 the government proposed substantial change to the constitution including lifting the limit of two presidential terms. In November 2005 Museveni said he would stand in the 2006 election, and his main rival Besigye was charged with treason and terrorism and taken into custody. Besigye was then released on bail in January 2006 and held some political rallies.

In the first multiparty elections for 25 years, held in February 2006, Museveni (with 59.3% of the votes) defeated Besigye (37.4%) in a turnout of 69%. The ruling NRM also won the parliamentary elections, although several ministers from the previous administration lost their seats. The Commonwealth observer group present, led by former President of Botswana Sir Ketumile Masire, believed that the election had enabled the will of the people to be expressed and that the result reflected the wishes of those who were able to vote.

After 20 years of conflict along the country’s northern border, abduction of more than 20,000 children and displacement of some two million people, a ceasefire between the Uganda Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) – a rebel group led by Joseph Kony – came into force on 29 August 2006. The truce opened the way for peace talks in Juba, Sudan, and mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan. With only intermittent minor skirmishes the ceasefire was maintained until June 2007, when the Uganda Government reached agreement with the LRA on a roadmap for long-term peace, reconciliation and accountability.