2011 Ugandan general election explained
| Country: | Uganda |
| Previous Election: | 2006 Ugandan general election |
| Previous Year: | 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2016 Ugandan general election |
| Next Year: | 2016 |
| Registered: | 13,954,129 |
| Module: | | Embed: | yes | | Election Name: | Presidential election | | Type: | presidential | | Turnout: | 59.29% (9.9 pp) | | Image1: | Yoweri Museveni September 2015.jpg | | Nominee1: | Yoweri Museveni | | Party1: | National Resistance Movement | | Popular Vote1: | 5,428,369 | | Percentage1: | 68.38% | | Party2: | Forum for Democratic Change | | Popular Vote2: | 2,064,963 | | Percentage2: | 26.01% | | President | | Before Election: | Yoweri Museveni | | Before Party: | National Resistance Movement | | After Election: | Yoweri Museveni | | After Party: | National Resistance Movement | | Module: | | Embed: | yes | | Election Name: | Parliamentary election | | Seats For Election: | 365 of the 375 seats in Parliament | | Majority Seats: | 183 | | Leader1: | Yoweri Museveni | | Party1: | National Resistance Movement | | Last Election1: | 213 | | Seats1: | 263 | | Percentage1: | 49.22 | | Leader2: | Kizza Besigye | | Party2: | Forum for Democratic Change | | Last Election2: | 37 | | Seats2: | 34 | | Percentage2: | 13.56 | | Leader3: | Norbert Mao | | Party3: | Democratic Party (Uganda) | | Last Election3: | 8 | | Seats3: | 12 | | Percentage3: | 6.04 | | Leader4: | Olara Otunnu | | Party4: | Uganda People's Congress | | Last Election4: | 9 | | Seats4: | 10 | | Percentage4: | 3.37 | | Leader5: | Asuman Basalirwa | | Party5: | Justice Forum | | Last Election5: | 1 | | Seats5: | 1 | | Percentage5: | 0.64 | | Leader6: | Ken Lukyamuzi | | Party6: | CP | | Last Election6: | 1 | | Seats6: | 1 | | Percentage6: | 0.61 | | Leader7: | – | | Party7: | Independents | | Last Election7: | 40 | | Seats7: | 43 | | Percentage7: | 25.78 | | Speaker of Parliament | | Before Election: | Edward Ssekandi | | Before Party: | National Resistance Movement | | After Election: | Rebecca Kadaga | | After Party: | National Resistance Movement |
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General elections were held in Uganda on 18 February 2011. Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) was re-elected for a third time, having been in power since 1986. The NRM also won 263 of the 375 seats in Parliament.
Background
Museveni, a former guerilla commander, had ruled Uganda for nearly 30 years at the time of the elections. Kizza Besigye and Museveni faced each other for the third time, having previously been allies; Besigye was defeated by Museveni in the 2001 and 2006 elections.
Campaign
At the time of the elections, Uganda was facing a potential oil shock, which became a campaign issue.
Eight candidates contested the presidential elections,[1] whilst a total of 1,713 candidates ran in the parliamentary elections; 1,270 for the constituency seats and 443 for the women's seats.[2] The NRM contested every constituency seat, putting forward a total of 364 candidates. The Forum for Democratic Change nominated 288, the Uganda People's Congress 135, the Democratic Party 120, the Uganda Federal Alliance 66, the People's Progressive Party 33, and the People's Development Party 18.[3]
Conduct
European Union observers said the election was "marred by avoidable and logistical failures, which led to an unacceptable number of Ugandan citizens being disenfranchised."[4]
Results
Parliament
See also: List of members of the ninth Parliament of Uganda.
Aftermath
The four-party Inter-Party Cooperation chairman Kizza Besigye said before the results were announced that the opposition "categorically rejects the outcome of the elections." He later warned that Uganda was ripe for an Egypt-style revolt after Museveni's more than two decades in power.[5] However, the protesters failed to amass in large numbers because, as The Christian Science Monitor suggested, a failure to tally its own results through its own SMS system was disrupted by the government, who also arrested hundreds of opposition field agents. They also suggested that Besigye did not believe his own claim of sparking a revolution. After losing out twice to Museveni – whose personal physician and loyal ally he once was – this third attempt seems to have shattered him.[6]
Further reading
- Gibb . Ryan . 2012 . Presidential and parliamentary elections in Uganda, February 18, 2011 . Electoral Studies . 31 . 2 . 458–461 . 10.1016/j.electstud.2012.02.003 .
Notes and References
- https://web.archive.org/web/20110221041506/http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/746968 Ugandans starts voting exercise
- http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2329_11.htm Elections held in 2011
- http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1016073/ugandans-upbeat-voting-outcome Ugandans upbeat on voting outcome
- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-20/museveni-extends-25-year-rule-in-uganda-election-opponents-reject-result.html Uganda's Museveni Wins Vote; Opposition Rejects Result
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/uganda/8336879/Ugandan-president-comfortably-wins-re-election.html Ugandan president comfortably wins re-election
- http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0222/Why-Uganda-s-Besigye-failed-to-deliver-Egypt-style-protests-after-election-defeat Why Uganda's Besigye failed to deliver Egypt-style protests after election defeat
