Ruling NRM’s anti-independents stance in Uganda elections sparks alarm

Members of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) return nomination forms to their party’s electoral commission.

Photo credit: GPJ

Uganda’s ruling party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), is attempting to block potential political candidates from running as independents.

In April, it introduced a requirement for aspiring candidates to sign pledges vowing they won’t run as independents if they lose party primaries set for this week. The move is meant to shore up party unity, says Emmanuel Lumala Dombo, the party’s director of information and publicity.