A referendum on restoring multi-party politics was held in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

on 28 July 2005. Political parties had been banned from competing in elections for nearly 20 years in order to curb sectarian tensions. President

Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and retired senior military officer who has been the 9th and current President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. Museveni spearheaded rebellions with aid of then ...

instituted the non-party "Movement" system of government when he came to power in 1986. A

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

was held in 2000, but the proposal was rejected by over 90% of voters. This time it was approved by over 90% of voters.

Background

The Ugandan Parliament voted to conduct the referendum on 4 May 2005. Enthusiasm for the poll was muted, however, as both the government and opposition supported a return to a

multiparty In political science, a multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in coal ...

system. Some political groupings, including the

Forum for Democratic Change The Forum for Democratic Change ( sw, Jukwaa la Mabadiliko ya Kidemokrasia; FDC), founded on 16 December 2004, is the main opposition party in Uganda. The FDC was founded as an umbrella body called Reform Agenda, mostly for disenchanted former ...

, boycotted the poll, claiming that it would legitimise 19 years of rule by an effective one-party state. President Museveni castigated the

boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...

ers for "not contributing to the development of Uganda".Museveni castigates opposition boycotters
New Vision, 28 July 2005 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?" Symbols of a tree and a house accompanied the 'yes' and 'no' boxes, respectively, on the ballot. 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.

Results

References

Campaigns end, security on high alert
'' The Monitor'', 27 July 2005
Uganda votes on electoral change
''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

'', 28 July 2005
Multi-party poll divides Ugandan press
''

'', 28 July 2005
Multi-party leads in poll
'' The Monitor'', 29 July 2005
Uganda 'backs' multi-party return
''

'', 29 July 2005
Uganda backs multiparty politics early results show
''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...

'', 29 July 2005
Poor voter turnout mars referendum
'' The Monitor'', 29 July 2005
Turnup low in referendum
''

New Vision The ''New Vision'' is a Ugandan English-language newspaper published daily in print form and online. Overview ''New Vision'' is one of two main national English-language newspapers in Uganda, the other being the ''Daily Monitor''. It is publi ...

'', 29 July 2005

External links

Uganda Electoral Commission
{{Ugandan elections 2005 referendums 2005 in Uganda Referendums in Uganda