What has stopped democracy in Uganda?

Ben Rubin

Period 1

3/17/17

What Has Stopped Democracy in Uganda?

Last February, the Ugandan Presidential elections took place. While some claimed that President Museveni stole the election, others supported Museveni’s  re-election and credited him with great accomplishments.  In fact, some of the tactics Museveni is accused of using to win the election are not that different from those used by American legislators to stay in office.  

To understand the current situation in Uganda, we must first look at the past. President Obote was the first ruler after Uganda gained its independence.  Obote was involved in a number of financial scandals with the then Commander of the Ugandan Army, Idi Amin. Obote was also responsible for the deaths of 100,000 civilians (Uganda).  His bad policies led to discontent, which resulted in a military coup of Obote’s government. Idi Amin then took power and promised a democratic state. He garnered support from the West but, after promising fair elections, Amin declared himself president and made Uganda a police state. At least half a million Ugandans died under his regime (Uganda).   Later, a guerrilla force known as the National Resistance Movement (NRM) battled the Ugandan army until they overtook the government. The NRM declared Uganda a free state and elected the leader of the NRM, Yusei Museveni, as president. Museveni stabilized the economy, expanded infrastructure, and promised fair elections.  This is the backdrop for the current situation.   

According to multiple sources, such as The New York Times, CNN, and the Guardian, there was widespread corruption in the 2016 Presidential election. According to the Guardian, in urban areas, the stronghold of the opposition, some polling stations opened 4 to 5 hours late (similar to well known tactics in US elections such as reducing polling places to create long lines for voters) (Kavuma).  In addition, the election was called before 1,800 polling stations had been counted (Kavuma). Museveni received 63% of the vote compared to 34% for the opposition candidate, Besigye (Karima). The body responsible for operating the polling stations, the Electoral Commission, is run by Museveni’s administration.  This fact may be a reason why, according to a recent poll by Uganda Elect, an independent polling organization,  40% of Ugandans said that they did not think Museveni could actually lose in an election and would step down (Kavuma).  This poll shows the distrust of the election system in Uganda.

Part of the reason Museveni has stayed in power for so long is because he has improved Ugandans’ standard of living and expanded certain freedoms  despite the corrupt election process (Kron). This improvement in Ugandans’ lives has given Museveni justification to change the constitution so that he can can remain in power.  These better conditions have caused people to be less concerned about the corrupt political process. Of course, Museveni’s opposition does have grassroots support, but it has not been enough to remove Museveni. This is because unlike his predecessors Obote and Amin, Museveni has not suppressed basic human rights.   But Museveni has carried forward the precedent of past Ugandan rulers by not stepping down from office.

Museveni has made some meaningful improvements in Uganda. His supporters have attributed peace in Uganda to Museveni (Africa).  Compared to Uganda’s past rulers, Museveni has made significant contributions to Ugandans.  However, he has exposed the weakness of the country’s constitution and political institutions by remaining in power for my than 30 years. If Museveni really wants to leave a lasting positive mark on Uganda and be remembered favorably, he should step down now for a new generation of leaders elected freely and fairly.

Works Cited:

Gettleman, Jeffrey. "Instead of Democracy, Uganda Moves Toward Dictatorship Light." The New

York Times. The New York Times, 17 Feb. 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.

"Africa's Fragile Democracies." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 20 Aug. 2016. Web.

07 Mar. 2017.

Kavuma, Richard M. "Ugandan Elections Marred by Shambolic Polls and Claims of Fraud |

Richard M Kavuma." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 22 Feb. 2016. Web. 07 Mar.

2017.

Kron, Josh. "Uganda's Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Presidential Election." The New York

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Karimi, Faith. "Uganda Election: President Museveni Declared the Winner." CNN. Cable News

Network, 21 Feb. 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2017.

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