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Uganda - Government and Political Conditions (Notes)

GOVERNMENT The 1995 constitution established Uganda as a republic with an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The constitution provides for an executive president, to be elected every 5 years. President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, was elected in 1996 and reelected in 2001 and 2006. Legislative responsibility is vested in the parliament; legislative elections were last held February 2006. There currently are 332 members of parliament, of which 79 are women. The Ugandan judiciary operates as an independent branch of government and consists of magistrate's courts, high courts, courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court. Parliament and the judiciary have significant amounts of independence and wield significant power. Principal Government Officials President and Commander in Chief--Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Vice President--Dr. Gilbert Bukenya Prime Minister--Apollo Nsibambi Foreign Minister--Sam Kutesa Minister of Defense--Crispus Kiyonga Ambassador to the United States--Perezi K. Kamunanwire Uganda maintains an embassy in the United States at 5909 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 (tel. 202-726-7100).