The national referendum asked citizens whether people who wished to join political organisations or parties should be allowed to compete for political power.
The ballot question was: “Do you agree to open up the political space to allow those who wish to join different organisations/parties to do so to compete for political power?”
Voters chose between two symbols, with a Tree representing “Yes” and a House representing “No”. The result was decisive, with 92.44 percent voting in favour of reopening the political space, while 7.56 percent rejected the proposal.
The vote marked a major shift in Uganda’s political history by allowing political parties to organise, campaign and compete directly for power after years of restrictions under the Movement system.
Introduced after the National Resistance Movement (NRM) captured power in 1986, the Movement system allowed individuals to contest elections but barred political parties from openly mobilising supporters or competing as organised entities.
The government at the time defended the arrangement, arguing that multiparty politics could worsen ethnic and religious divisions following years of political instability.
However, pressure from civil society groups, opposition actors and international partners contributed to growing demands for political reform.
The 2005 referendum followed an earlier vote in June 2000, in which Ugandans rejected a return to multiparty politics amid an opposition boycott.
Despite the overwhelming support for political liberalisation in 2005, voter turnout remained low, with about 47 percent of registered voters participating.
Opposition groups, including the newly formed Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), boycotted the referendum, arguing that the matter should have been addressed through constitutional reforms rather than a national vote.
The referendum paved the way for Uganda’s first competitive multiparty general election in two decades, held on February 23, 2006.
In that election, the NRM transformed from a political movement into a political party and competed against opposition parties, including the FDC, Democratic Party (DP) and Uganda People’s Congress (UPC).
President Museveni won a third term after securing 59.26 percent of the vote, defeating FDC candidate Dr Kizza Besigye, who received 37.39 percent.
The election also cemented the FDC’s position as the leading opposition party, while older parties such as DP and UPC struggled to regain their previous political influence.
Besigye later challenged the election results in the Supreme Court, citing irregularities and intimidation during the electoral process.
Although the court found that electoral laws had been breached, the majority of judges ruled that the violations were insufficient to overturn the outcome.