Uganda flag Uganda: Economic and Political Overview

The political framework of Uganda

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders
President - Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (since 29 January 1986)
Vice President - Jessica Alupo (since 21 June 2021)
Prime Minister - Robinah Nabbanja (since 21 June 2021)
Next Election Dates
Presidential: 2026
Legislative: 2026
Main Political Parties
In 2005, Ugandans held a referendum and voted for a return to multi-party politics. Before that, only one political organisation, the National Resistance Movement, was allowed to operate in the country.
However, the National Resistance Movement (also known simply as the Movement) is still the ruling political party in Uganda. The party was originally founded as a liberation movement to oppose dictatorial regimes. In the 2021 general election, the Movement obtained 336 out of 529 seats.
Other major parties include the National Unity Platform (the main opposition party, with 57 seats in the Parliament), the Forum for Democratic Change (opposition party, 32 seats); the Democratic Party (moderate conservative, with 9 seats in the Parliament) and the Uganda People's Congress (which also holds 9 seats in the Parliament).

Other minor parties in the country are: Justice Forum (JEEMA), People's Progressive Party (PPP), and Alliance for National Transformation (ANT).

Executive Power
The Ugandan President holds executive power; he assumes the functions of head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for the appointment of Cabinet, as well as the implementation and enforcement of laws drafted by Parliament. The president is elected for a five-year term, with the possibility of reelection without any term limits.
Legislative Power
According to the 1995 Constitution, the legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. The term of the unicameral Parliament is seven years from the date of its first sitting after a general election. Currently, the Ugandan Parliament is composed of 529 representatives: 353 of those seats are filled using first-past-the-post voting in single winner constituencies, 146 are reserved for women, and the remaining 30 seats are indirectly filled via special electoral colleges: 10 by the Uganda People's Defence Forces, 5 by the youth, 5 by the elderly, 5 by people with disabilities, and 5 by workers unions. In each of these groups, at least one woman must be elected (except for the Defence Force group, which must have at least two women).
 

Indicator of Freedom of the Press

Definition:

The world rankings, published annually, measures violations of press freedom worldwide. It reflects the degree of freedom enjoyed by journalists, the media and digital citizens of each country and the means used by states to respect and uphold this freedom. Finally, a note and a position are assigned to each country. To compile this index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) prepared a questionnaire incorporating the main criteria (44 in total) to assess the situation of press freedom in a given country. This questionnaire was sent to partner organisations,150 RWB correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists. It includes every kind of direct attacks against journalists and digital citizens (murders, imprisonment, assault, threats, etc.) or against the media (censorship, confiscation, searches and harassment etc.).

World Rank:
125/180
 

Indicator of Political Freedom

Definition:

The Indicator of Political Freedom provides an annual evaluation of the state of freedom in a country as experienced by individuals. The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. The ratings process is based on a checklist of 10 political rights questions (on Electoral Process, Political Pluralism and Participation, Functioning of Government) and 15 civil liberties questions (on Freedom of Expression, Belief, Associational and Organizational Rights, Rule of Law, Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights). Scores are awarded to each of these questions on a scale of 0 to 4, where a score of 0 represents the smallest degree and 4 the greatest degree of rights or liberties present. The total score awarded to the political rights and civil liberties checklist determines the political rights and civil liberties rating. Each rating of 1 through 7, with 1 representing the highest and 7 the lowest level of freedom, corresponds to a range of total scores.

Ranking:
Partly Free
Political Freedom:
6/7

Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House

 

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Latest Update: May 2024