As the country moves closer to the 2016 elections, the Electoral Commission (EC) has announced that only two presidential aspirants National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Yoweri Museveni and Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate Nandala Mafabi have so far fulfilled all nomination requirements.
The revelation was made by EC spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi, who noted that at least 27 out of 38 presidential aspirants had submitted lists of supporters for verification. However, only Museveni and Mafabi had fully met the legal thresholds required for nomination.
“Out of the 27, two aspirants had met the required supporter numbers, while the others were at various levels of compliance,” Mucunguzi stated.
According to Section 10(1)(b) of the Presidential Elections Act, a presidential aspirant must present at least 100 registered voters from not less than two-thirds of all districts in Uganda translating to a minimum of 9,800 supporters drawn from at least 98 districts.
Mucunguzi added that the verification process for the remaining aspirants is ongoing and that further updates will be communicated in due course.
The EC also issued a warning against multiple endorsements by voters, which is prohibited under the law. Offenders risk a penalty of 24 currency points (equivalent to UGX 480,000), imprisonment of up to one year, or both.
“The Commission remains committed to ensuring that the nomination exercise for presidential candidates and all other elective positions is conducted in full compliance with the relevant electoral laws,” Mucunguzi emphasized.
The EC has scheduled September 23 and 24, 2025, as the official nomination dates for presidential candidates. The exercise will take place at the Commission’s new headquarters in Lubowa, Kampala.
