Ugandans Vote for Multi-party State

Ugandans have voted in favour of re-establishing multi-party politics after 19 years of President Yoweri Museveni's "no-party politics", according to early results of a referendum announced yesterday.

About 87% supported a move to allow plural parties, according to figures from 68 of Uganda's 214 constituencies. Some 42.6% of the country's 8.5 million registered voters turned out, according to the electoral commission chairman, Badru Kiggundu. Final results are expected today.

"The percentage of people who went for the polls is not surprising to us because it was a non-contentious referendum and it was not compulsory," said Ofwono Opondo, a spokesman for Mr Museveni's National Resistance Movement, according to Associated Press.

Five years ago Ugandans voted against multi-party politics. But this time, Mr Museveni supported the referendum to allow different parties to put up candidates for parliament. "We have won because we managed to convince people to turn up. People could not believe that after 19 years we would open up," Mr Opondo said.

It was a dramatic turnaround for Mr Museveni who had long maintained that political parties caused ethnic divisions and violence in Uganda.

His critics take a cynical view of his change of heart, saying it is merely a ploy to appease foreign donors who fund about half the east African state's budget and who have been pressing for political reforms. They say Mr Museveni calculated that a move to a multi-party democracy would reduce domestic and international opposition to his decision to run for a third term.

Mr Museveni has been Uganda's leader since 1986 during which time the country has established stability and healthy economic growth, averaging 6% over the past 15 years. His leadership is also credited with helping Uganda to substantially reduce its HIV infection rate, a rare victory in Africa.

Although most of Uganda is peaceful, the government is fighting a bitter and intractable battle against a rebel movement in the north.

Most Ugandans expect the 61-year-old general to run for re-election next year after parliament controversially voted to scrap term limits that would have barred him.

While Mr Museveni has yet to say if he wants more time in power, critics say the charismatic former rebel may be turning into an authoritarian "big man" African president.

His supporters say it would be foolish to change Uganda's political system and leader at the same time.

There was widespread confusion about the issues at stake in Thursday's referendum, with many rural voters saying they had voted yes simply because Mr Museveni told them to.

The opposition boycotted the poll, saying it was a waste of money since the government already accepted in principle the need to bring back parties. They argued that their right to political association should not be subject to any vote and that taking part would only legitimise 19 years of single-party rule.

Analysts say donors tolerated the lack of pluralism because of Mr Museveni's enthusiastic acceptance of fiscal reforms suggested by the IMF and World Bank, but they now say the time is right to open up politics to competition.