The Electoral Commission (EC) has directed all presidential aspirants to submit 100 signatures of voters seconding their nomination within two weeks before nomination day.
Addressing journalists about adjustments to various election nomination positions, Justice Simon Byabakama, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, announced that presidential aspirants can start picking nomination forms next week and will have one month to return them.
According to Byabakama, aspiring presidential candidates have 30 days to collect at least 100 signatures from supporters in 98 districts of Uganda to support their candidacy. Unlike previous elections, where aspirants would submit signatures on nomination day, this time around, all presidential aspirants are required to submit the signatures to the commission within two weeks leading up to the nomination dates of September 23rd and 24th.
“All presidential aspirants must submit their collected signatures from each district to the commission, two weeks before nomination day, at our new home in Lweeza. This allows us sufficient time to verify the authenticity of the signatures and confirm whether the signatories are registered voters in those districts,” Byabakama noted.
Unlike parliamentary nomination forms and district chairperson forms, which can be downloaded from the Electoral Commission website, presidential aspirants will collect nomination forms in person or by agents. This physical collection process, the Commission said it will enable the Commission to properly document aspirants and notify relevant authorities to prevent potential obstructions.
The Commission has also mandated that independent presidential aspirants provide sufficient proof of their Ugandan citizenship and voter registration status. This measure aims to verify the eligibility of individuals seeking to run for office.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission has also made adjustments to the local government and special interest group nominations. The previously scheduled dates of September 3rd to September 25th have been rescheduled.
The Commission has decided to stagger local government nominations by category to avoid confusion. For example, nominations for District Chairperson, Lord Mayor, and Lord Councillors will take place from September 3rd to 5th at the respective District or City Returning Offices.
The second category, comprising Municipality or City Division Mayors/Chairpersons and Councillors, will have nominations held from September 8th to 10th, 2025, at the respective District Returning Offices.”
The third category, covering Sub-County, Town, and Municipal Division Chairpersons, will hold nominations from September 11th to 24th, 2025, at the respective Sub-County headquarters. Meanwhile, nomination forms for all categories can be collected starting August 11th (next week) at Division, Sub-County, and District Returning Offices.
For District Chairperson and City Lord Mayor positions, nomination forms will be available on the Commission’s website starting Monday next week.
Meanwhile, parliamentary nominations, including special interest groups and directly elected MPs, District Women MPs, have been rescheduled to take place on October 15th-16th at respective District or City Returning Offices. Nomination forms for parliamentary seats will also be accessible on the EC website starting next week, on August 11th.
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