This week’s election in Uganda illustrated just how far-reaching the Internet’s impact on politics has become. The African nation’s first multi-party election in over twenty years took place this Thursday, with the presidency and all seats in parliament up for grabs.  Technology played a much more significant role in the proceedings than it ever has before.



Three of the four main political parties (NRM, FDC, UPC) attempted to woo voters with attractive, detailed, and frequently updated web sites. The FDC’s site followed presidential candidate Kizza Besigye on the campaign trail and even offered a blog where supporters could commiserate. The NRM, party of incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, is using email registration to recruit new members and Museveni’s campaign team used SMS to get their message across. The Democratic Party (DP) remains the only party without a website.

But it isn’t all good news. This week the international Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) accused the Ugandan government of blocking internal access to a popular Web site, Radio Katwe, in the weeks before the election. Radio Katwe publishes a broad range of anonymous reader-submitted stories, including extremely critical reports of President Yoweri Museveni and the ruling NRM.

Electoral officials across throughout Uganda reported orderly voting and a high turn out for the elections. Election rules stipulate that results must be announced within 48 hours of when the polls close, which will be 5 p.m. Saturday.

For more information:

“Technology Powers Campaigns"

“Ugandan Government Blocks Critical Web Site Ahead of Polls"