Uganda multiparty referendum, 2005
Encyclopedia
Uganda
ns voted to restore a multi-party political system in a constitutional referendum
held on 28 July 2005. Political parties were barred from competing in elections for nearly 20 years in order to curb sectarian tensions. President Yoweri Museveni
instituted the non-party
"Movement" system of government when he came to power in 1986. Five years earlier, in a similar referendum, Ugandans chose to keep the restrictions on the parties.
The Ugandan Parliament voted to conduct the referendum on 4 May 2005.http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news05062.php Enthusiasm for the poll was muted, however, as both the government and opposition supported a return to a multiparty system. Some political groupings, including the Forum for Democratic Change
, boycotted the poll, claiming that it would legitimise 19 years of rule by an effective one-party state http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/News/Regional2507200514.htm. President Museveni castigated the boycott
ers for "not contributing to the development of Uganda" http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/447486. Other observers suggested the $12.5m spent on the referendum might have been put to better use elsewhere in Uganda, one of the poorest countries in the world.
The lengthy question presented to voters on their ballots was criticised for being confusing: "Do you agree to open up the political space to allow those who wish to join different organisations/parties to do so to compete for political power?" Symbol of a tree and a house accompanied the 'yes' and 'no' boxes, respectively, on the ballot papers http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news07291.php.
More than 90% of voters backed the return to multi-party politics. Some observers expressed surprise at the official figures given for voter turnout. Initial estimates indicated that less than 30% of Uganda's 8.5 million voters had turned out for the poll. The Electoral Commission, however, released an official figure of 47%. A low turnout would have been embarrassing for Museveni.http://za.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-07-30T104843Z_01_BAN038904_RTRIDST_0_OZATP-UGANDA-REFERENDUM-20050730.XML
Source: Uganda Electoral Commission
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
ns voted to restore a multi-party political system in a constitutional referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
held on 28 July 2005. Political parties were barred from competing in elections for nearly 20 years in order to curb sectarian tensions. President Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is a Ugandan politician and statesman. He has been President of Uganda since 26 January 1986.Museveni was involved in the war that deposed Idi Amin Dada, ending his rule in 1979, and in the rebellion that subsequently led to the demise of the Milton Obote regime in 1985...
instituted the non-party
Non-partisan democracy
Nonpartisan democracy is a system of representative government or organization such that universal and periodic elections take place without reference to political parties.-Overview:...
"Movement" system of government when he came to power in 1986. Five years earlier, in a similar referendum, Ugandans chose to keep the restrictions on the parties.
The Ugandan Parliament voted to conduct the referendum on 4 May 2005.http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news05062.php Enthusiasm for the poll was muted, however, as both the government and opposition supported a return to a multiparty system. Some political groupings, including the Forum for Democratic Change
Forum for Democratic Change
The Forum for Democratic Change , founded on December 16, 2004, is the main opposition party in Uganda. FDC was founded as an umbrella body mostly for disenchanted former members and followers President Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Movement...
, boycotted the poll, claiming that it would legitimise 19 years of rule by an effective one-party state http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/News/Regional2507200514.htm. President Museveni castigated the boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
ers for "not contributing to the development of Uganda" http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/447486. Other observers suggested the $12.5m spent on the referendum might have been put to better use elsewhere in Uganda, one of the poorest countries in the world.
The lengthy question presented to voters on their ballots was criticised for being confusing: "Do you agree to open up the political space to allow those who wish to join different organisations/parties to do so to compete for political power?" Symbol of a tree and a house accompanied the 'yes' and 'no' boxes, respectively, on the ballot papers http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news07291.php.
More than 90% of voters backed the return to multi-party politics. Some observers expressed surprise at the official figures given for voter turnout. Initial estimates indicated that less than 30% of Uganda's 8.5 million voters had turned out for the poll. The Electoral Commission, however, released an official figure of 47%. A low turnout would have been embarrassing for Museveni.http://za.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-07-30T104843Z_01_BAN038904_RTRIDST_0_OZATP-UGANDA-REFERENDUM-20050730.XML
Results
"Do you agree to open up the political space to allow those who wish to join different organisations/ parties to do so to compete for political power?"| Option | Number of votes | Percentage |
| Yes | 3,643,223 | 92.4% |
| No | 297,865 | 7.6% |
| Turnout | 3,941,088 | 47.3% |
Source: Uganda Electoral Commission