(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Uganda’s rebel group turned ruling party continues to draw high public support, according to a poll by Wilksen Agencies and Afrobarometer. 41 per cent of respondents would vote for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) in the next presidential election.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Uganda’s rebel group turned ruling party continues to draw high public support, according to a poll by Wilksen Agencies and Afrobarometer. 41 per cent of respondents would vote for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) in the next presidential election.
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is second with 21 per cent, followed by the Democratic Party (DP) with four per cent, the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) also with four per cent, and the Conservative Party (CP) with just one per cent.
In 1986, a rebel group called the National Resistance Army (NRA) captured Kampala and installed Yoweri Museveni as president. Museveni would eventually win the 1996 and 2001 presidential elections.
In a nationwide referendum that took place in July 2005, Ugandans voted in favour of establishing a multi-party political system. While the 1995 constitution limited the incumbent president to two consecutive five-year terms, an amendment allowed Museveni to become a contender once again. In February 2006, Museveni won the presidential election with 59.28 per cent of the vote as the NRM candidate.
Museveni has not ruled out seeking a new term in the 2011 presidential election. Currently, Uganda’s constitution does not limit the number of presidential terms allowed. 72 per cent of respondents think presidential terms should be capped at two.
Last month, Joseph Ochieno, the UPC’s special envoy to Britain and Ireland, wrote an opinion piece saying, "Youths today demand jobs, housing, health care, education, infrastructure, security and dignity. (…) We must go to the ground, the grassroots, rebuild our structures and systems, strengthen our bases and build on new foundations where they do not exist."
Polling Data
If a presidential election were held tomorrow, which party’s candidate would you vote for?
|
National Resistance Movement (NRM) |
41% |
|
Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) |
21% |
|
Democratic Party (DP) |
4% |
|
Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) |
4% |
|
Conservative Party (CP) |
1% |
|
Undecided / Refused |
15% |
|
Would not vote |
13% |
Which of the following statements is closest to your view?
|
The constitution should limit the president to serving a maximum of two terms in office |
72% |
|
There should be no constitutional limit on how long the president can serve. |
23% |
|
Neither / Not sure |
5% |
Source: Wilksen Agencies / Afrobarometer
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 2,431 Ugandan adults, conducted from Jul. 27 to Sept. 3, 2008. Margin of error is 2 per cent.
