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Parliament name Parliament More photos  >>> Structure of parliament Unicameral Affiliation to the IPU Yes Affiliation date(s) 1981 - 1985 1991 - LEADERSHIP President Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga (F)  Notes Elected on 19 May 2011, re-elected on 19 May 2016. Secretary General Jane Lubowa Kibirige (F)  Notes 8 Feb. 2012 - COMPOSITION Members (statutory / current number) 465 / 449 PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN More statistics  >>> Women (current number) 154 (34.30%) Mode of designation directly elected 422 indirectly elected 25 other 18 Notes Indirectly elected members include: (a) Five youth representatives; (b) Five representatives of disabled persons; (c) Five workers' representatives; and (d) 10 representatives of the Uganda People's Defence Forces. At least one person from categories (a) to (c), and two from category (d) must be women. Other: In addition to the 447 members, the President of the Republic may appoint as many ex officio members as he/she wishes. The number of ex officio members (ministers who do not have voting rights), and thus the statutory number of members, may vary during the course of the legislature. Term 7 years Notes In accordance with the Constitutional (Amendment) Act 2017, the term of Parliament has been extended from five to seven years. The next parliamentary elections are therefore expected in 2023 instead of 2021. Last renewal dates 18 February 2016 (View details) CONTACT INFORMATION Address Parliament Parliamentary Buildings Parliament Avenue P.O. Box 7178 - KAMPALA (Export mailing lists) Phone (256 414) 37 71 00 37 70 00 37 71 50 Fax (256 414) 34 68 26 E-mail speaker@parliament.go.ug clerk@parliament.go.ug mail@parliament.go.ug Website http://www.parliament.go.ug/

Parliament name Parliament Structure of parliament Unicameral LEGAL FRAMEWORK Electoral law 26 February 1996 Last amendment: 16.11.2005 Mode of designation directly elected 422 indirectly elected 25 other 18 Constituencies 300 single-member constituencies (for directly elected members) In addition, there are 122 districts for women representatives. Voting system Majority: Simple majority vote. By-elections are held within 60 days to fill vacancies which arise between general elections. Voting is not compulsory. Voter requirements - age: 18 years - Ugandan citizenship (including naturalized citizens) - disqualifications: imprisonment, conviction for crime, holders of temporary entry permits, undocumented immigrants CANDIDATES Eligibility - qualified electors - age: 18 years - Ugandan citizenship (including naturalized citizens) - residence in the country at the time of election - minimum education at advanced level - ineligibilities: insanity, election-connected office, undischarged bankruptcy, sentence of death or imprisonment exceeding nine months Incompatibilities - membership of local government council - public office - traditional or cultural leader, as defined in Constitution Candidacy requirements - nomination by a registered political party - candidature can be submitted by individuals

Parliament name Parliament Structure of parliament Unicameral BACKGROUND Dates of election / renewal (from/to) 18 February 2016 Timing and scope of renewal President Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Movement (NRM) retained a two-thirds majority in the enlarged 447-member Parliament (up from 375 (see note). The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) led by Mr. Kizza Besigye came a distant second with 36 seats. The Democratic Alliance (TDA), led by former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, took 19 seats. Mr. Museveni was re-elected President for a fifth term. Mr. Besigye (FDC), who came second, rejected the election results and called for a protest march. The Supreme Court rejected a petition by Mr. Mbabazi challenging President Museveni's victory, citing voter bribery and arrests. During the election campaign, the major parties promised to provide better infrastructure, more jobs and affordable health care and to fight corruption. Observers from the European Union praised the peaceful voting but drew attention to a "lack of transparency and independence of the Electoral Commission" and "intimidation and harassment of opposition parties by security agencies". Note: The statutory number of directly elected members increased from 238 to 300, and that of women representatives from 112 to 122, due to an increase in the number of constituencies, approved by parliament in August 2015. However, the 2016 elections were held only for the 290 directly elected seats and 112 women representative seats, pending the creation of new districts. In addition, the President of the Republic may appoint as many ex officio members as he/she wishes, although the President has traditionally appointed 11 members to Parliament. The number of ex officio members (ministers who do not have voting rights), and thus the statutory number of members, may vary during the course of the legislature. Date of previous elections: 18 February 2011 Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature : 11 May 2016 Timing of election: Upon normal expiry Expected date of next elections: February 2021 Number of seats at stake: 427 (full renewal) Number of candidates: 1,747 (1,253 men, 494 women)* *1,343 candidates (including 88 women) for the 290 directly elected seats and 406 women candidates for the 112 seats reserved for women. Percentage of women candidates: 28.3% Number of parties contesting the election: 19 Number of parties winning seats: 5 Alternation of power: No Number of parties in government: 1 Names of parties in government: National Resistance Movement (NRM) Date of the first session of the new parliament: 17 May 2016 Name of the new Speaker: Ms. Rebecca Kadaga (National Resistance Movement, NRM) STATISTICS Voter turnout Round no 1 18 February 2016 Number of registered electors Voters Blank or invalid ballot papers Valid votes 15'277'198 10'329'131 (67.61%) Notes Turnout figures for the presidential elections. Distribution of votes Round no 1 Political group Candidates Votes % of votes National Resistance Movement (NRM) Independents Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Democratic Party (DP) Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) Uganda People's Congress (UPC) Distribution of seats Round no 1 Political Group Total of seats Constituency District woman Other indirect seats National Resistance Movement (NRM) 298 200 88 10 Independents 66 44 17 5 Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) 36 29 7 0 Democratic Party (DP) 15 13 2 0 Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) 10 0 0 10 Uganda People's Congress (UPC) 6 4 2 0 Distribution of seats according to sex Men Women Percent of women 296 153 34.08% Distribution of seats according to age Distribution of seats according to profession Comments Sources: Parliament (19.05.2016, 15.12.2016, 16.12.2016, 01.01.2017, 15.02.2018) Electoral Commission (05.07.2016) http://www.ec.or.ug http://eueom.eu/ AFP http://www.bbc.com http://parliamentwatch.ug http://www.observer.ug http://www.newvision.co.ug Note on the number of women: At the first session of the 10th Parliament, held on 17 May 2016, there were 143 women out of of 427 members as follows. - Constituency representatives: 22 out of 290 members (with 10 vacancies) - District Women representatives: 112 out of 122 women (with 10 vacancies) - Youth representatives: 2 out of 5 members - Representatives of disabled persons: 2 out of 5 members - Workers' representatives: 2 out of 5 members - Representatives of the Uganda People's Defence Forces: 3 out of 10 members Between 12 and 14 July 2016, 18 Ex-Officio members (ministers who do not have voting rights), including 9 women, were sworn in. On 20 September, four more District Women representatives from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) were sworn in, giving a total of 298 seats to NRM (up from 294 previously). Meanwhile, three male constituency members replaced three female members. As at 1 January 2017, there were 154 women out of 449 members with 16 vacancies as follows. - Constituency representatives: 19 out of 290 members (with 10 vacancies) - District Women representatives: 116 out of 122 women (with 6 vacancies) - Youth representatives: 2 out of 5 members - Representatives of disabled persons: 2 out of 5 members - Workers' representatives: 2 out of 5 members - Representatives of the Uganda People's Defence Forces: 3 out of 10 members - 18 Ex-Officios* including 10 women *The President of the Republic may appoint as many ex officio members as he/she wishes.

Parliament name Parliament Structure of parliament Unicameral APPOINTMENT AND TERM OF OFFICE Title Speaker of Parliament Term - duration: 5 years (term of House) - reasons for interruption of the term: resignation, death, dissolution of the Parliament Appointment - elected by all Members of Parliament at their first sitting after elections - after Members' mandates have been validated - after Members have been sworn in Eligibility - any Member may be a candidate, but formal notification is required one day before voting Voting system - formal vote by secret ballot - a simple majority is required; several rounds are only held in case of a tie Procedures / results - the Chief Justice of the High Court presides over the Parliament during the voting - the Chief Justice of the High Court, assisted by the Clerk, supervises the voting - the Chief Justice of the High Court announces the results without delay - the results may be challenged at the requests of MPs STATUS Status - ranks third in the hierarchy of the State - represents the National Parliament in international bodies - is ex officio President of the Committee on Appointments and the Committee for Welfare of Members - in the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker can assume his/her role and functions Board Material facilities - allowance - official residence - official car - secretariat - additional staff - domestic staff - bodyguards FUNCTIONS Organization of parliamentary business - convenes sessions - establishes and modifies the agenda, assisted by the Clerk - organizes the debates and sets speaking time, assisted by a parliamentary committee - examines the admissibility of bills and amendments - refers texts to a committee for study at the request of a member who submits a motion - examines the admissibility of requests for setting up committees and/or committees of enquiry, proposes or decides on the setting-up of such committees at a request of a member who submits a motion - appoints committees and their presidents Chairing of public sittings - can open, adjourn and close sittings - ensures respect for provisions of the Constitution and Standing Orders - makes announcements concerning the Parliament - takes disciplinary measures in the event of disturbance, and lifts such measures - establishes the list of speakers, gives and withdraws permission to speak - establishes the order in which amendments are taken up and selects which amendments are to be debated - calls for a vote, decides how it is to be carried out, verifies the voting procedure and cancels a vote in the event of irregularities - checks the quorum - authenticates the texts adopted and the records of debates - interprets the rules or other regulations governing the life of Parliament, based on precedents - has discretionary power to give the floor outside the agenda and thus organizes impromptu debates Special powers - may be consulted with regard to the recruitment, assignment and promotion of staff - can indirectly influence the appointment of the Clerk - can indirectly influence the organization of the services of Parliament - is responsible for relations with foreign Parliaments - is responsible for safety, and in this capacity, can call the police in the event of disturbance in the Parliament Speaking and voting rights, other functions - provides guidelines for the interpretation or completion of the text under discussion - consults the Judiciary before a bill is presented to Parliament - is consulted by the Head of State in the event of dissolution of the Parliament

This page was last updated on 15 February 2018
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