Press Statement By The Chairperson, Electoral Commission On The Final Preparations For Nomination Candidates For Parliamentary Elections, 2026

A. Introduction

On behalf of the Electoral Commission it is my honor to welcome you to this press briefing, where the Commission will provide updates on various activities being undertaken, under the 2025/2026 General Elections Roadmap.

B. Nomination of Candidates for Parliamentary Elections 2026

The Electoral Commission appointed Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd October 2025 as the dates for nomination of candidates for Parliamentary Elections 2026.

The nominations shall be conducted at the respective district/city headquarters across the country, beginning at 9:00am and ending at 5:00pm on each of the appointed dates.

The nominated candidates will contest for the following elective positions:

No.	Elective Position	Number of Positions
1.	Directly-elected Member of Parliament	353 Constituencies
2.	District Woman Representative to Parliament	146 Cities/Districts
3.	Representatives of Older Persons to Parliament	5 positions
4.	Representatives of Persons with Disabilities to Parliament	5 positions
5.	Representatives of Workers to Parliament	5 positions
6.	Representatives of Youths to Parliament	5 positions

An aspirant for Member of Parliament shall be a citizen of Uganda and a registered voter.

The nomination of a candidate shall be made by two registered voters appearing in person, who shall tender the following documents to the Returning Officer:

1. 1. A nomination paper in triplicate containing a statement under oath by the person seeking nomination specifying:

   
   a. The name, age, address and occupation of the person seeking nomination;
   b. The address designated by the person seeking nomination for service of process and papers; and,

   c. The name and address of a person appointed official agent by the person seeking nomination;

   d. A statement signed by the person named as official agent, stating that he/she has accepted the appointment as agent for the candidate;

   e. The names and signatures of a minimum of ten (10) persons who are registered voters in the constituency where the person seeks nomination as a candidate supporting the nomination; each supporter shall state in the nomination paper his or her village, occupation and personal voter registration number.

1. 2. A statement under oath stating that:

   a. The person seeking nomination is a citizen of Uganda, and is eighteen years of age or above; and,
   b. The person named in the nomination paper as seeking nomination consents to the nomination and is not disqualified to stand as a candidate under any law in force.

1. 3. Where a person is sponsored by a political party or political organisation, the nomination paper shall indicate that he/she is so sponsored stating the name and address of the political organisation or political party;

1. 4. The nomination paper shall be accompanied by proof of payment of a nomination fee of 3,000,000/= (three million) shillings only, which shall be paid to the Uganda Administration, through any bank which collects Non Tax Revenue.

The above nomination fee must be paid through the URA online system and authorized banks, following the procedure outlined in the Electoral Commission Guidelines which are available at: www.ec.or.ug and are also provided on the nomination form. 

Payments should not be made to District or City Administration accounts.

Aspirants who have already paid nomination fees do not need to come to Electoral Commission Headquarters in Kampala for verification of their payment. Aspirants only need to present their bank payment slips to the respective District Returning Officer who will verify with the Electoral Commission.

1. 5. The nomination paper of every candidate shall be accompanied by two postcard sized copies of the candidate’s own recent straight face colour photograph;

1. 6. A person using vehicles for the purpose of his/her nomination shall have no more than two (2) vehicles in the convoy and each vehicle shall bear police stickers and shall not carry more than ten (10) persons, driver inclusive;

1. 7. Aspirants will be required to present certified copies of educational qualifications confirming that they obtained a minimum formal education of Advanced Level or its equivalent;

1. 8. A certificate from the National Council of Higher Education in cases where such academic qualifications are the equivalent of Advanced Level or were obtained outside Uganda;

1. 9. Further, aspirants will be required to present proof of resignation, in the case of public officers.

C. Nomination of Candidates for Elections of Members of Parliament Representing Special Interest Groups (SIGs), 2026

The nomination of candidates for election of Member of Parliament representing the following Special Interest Groups (SIGs) will also be conducted during the above period, that is, Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd October 2025:

1. 1. Representatives of Older Persons to Parliament;
   2. Representatives of Persons with Disabilities to Parliament;
   3. Representatives of Workers to Parliament; and,
   4. Representatives of Youths to Parliament;

 Please note that the nomination of candidates for election of Representatives of the fifth Special Interest Group, that is, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), will be conducted at a later date, and in accordance with provisions of Section 9 of the Parliamentary Elections Act.

The nominations for the above four (4) SIGs categories shall be conducted at the Electoral Commission Headquarters, located at Plot 1-3/5 Seventh Street, Industrial Area, Kampala, and shall begin at 9:00am and end at 5:00pm on each of the appointed dates.

An aspiring candidate for Member of Parliament representing a Special Interest Group shall be a citizen of Uganda and a registered voter, and will be required to fulfil all the requirements for nomination as outlined in the Guidelines issued by the Electoral Commission for each Special Interest Group, that is, Older Persons; Persons with Disabilities; Workers; and Youths.

The Electoral Commission calls upon all stakeholders in the electoral process to take note of the above dates and to ensure compliance with the nomination requirements and procedures.

Nomination forms and guidelines are available at all City/District Electoral Commission offices across the country, or can be downloaded from the Commission’s website: www.ec.or.ug

The Commission appreciates aspirants who have submitted their nomination documents in advance to their respective City/District Returning Officer for (advance) verification.

Stakeholders are urged to strictly follow the prescribed procedures to ensure a smooth nomination process and avoid any inconveniences. Similarly, the Commission reiterates our commitment to ensure that the nomination exercise is conducted with utmost integrity, transparency, and the highest level of professionalism

I wish to emphasise the following: 

1. Aspiring candidates will be required to submit all the requisite documents for verification on nomination day. The Commission will, after scrutiny, and satisfaction that the requirements have been fulfilled, declare the aspirant duly nominated;
2. Upon successful nomination, candidates who wish to meet with their supporters to launch their manifestos are advised to organise and conduct such meetings in full compliance with traffic regulations and laws governing public assemblies;
3. Further, upon conclusion of the nomination exercise, the respective City/District Returning Officer will meet all the nominated candidates from 24th to 27th October 2025, in their electoral districts, for the purpose of harmonising their campaign programmes, after which candidates’ campaigns will commence on 10th November 2025 and run until 13th January 2026;

 
D. Establishment of Help Desk for Managing Nomination Queries
The Commission has set up a Query/Complaints Desk at the Electoral Commission Head Offices, to support the above nomination exercise.

The Query/Complaints’ Desk will provide any required information to the public and to election officials, to facilitate the process of verification of aspirants or supporters on the National Voters’ Register.

The Desk will also provide guidance on any legal issues and respond to general inquiries during the nomination exercise.

The Desk will have toll free lines to enable members of the public raise any issue related to the nomination exercise for expeditious handling by the Commission.

No	Tel. Number	Description
1.	0800 300121	Toll-free number (can be called by all networks, e.g. Airtel; MTN; UTel; etc.,) at no cost to the caller
2.	0800 300122	Toll-free number (can be called by all networks, e.g. Airtel; MTN; UTel; etc.,) at no cost to the caller
3.	0392 004158	Not-toll-free (chargeable number)
4.	0393 280488	Not-toll-free (chargeable number)

All the stakeholders in this process are urged to make use of this toll free facility during the nomination period from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
 
E. Appointment of Polling Day for Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, 2026 
As you are aware, the nomination of candidates for the Presidential Elections was successfully conducted on Tuesday, 23rd and Wednesday, 24th September 2025, followed by the commencement of Presidential Campaigns on 29th September 2025.

The Commission commends all Presidential candidates, their agents and supporters, the Uganda Police Force, the media, and the public for the peaceful conduct that has characterised the first three weeks of the ongoing Presidential campaigns.

We urge all stakeholders to maintain this commendable spirit throughout the campaign period and beyond the elections.

Following the conclusion of the above nomination and commencement of campaigns, and in accordance with Article 61(2) of the Constitution, the Electoral Commission has appointed Thursday, 15th January 2026, as the polling day for the Presidential Elections, 2026.
Furthermore, polling for Parliamentary Elections, that is, for Directly-elected Members of Parliament and District Woman Representatives to Parliament, will also be conducted on the same day, Thursday, 15th January 2026.

Additionally, in line with Article 61(2) of the Constitution, the Commission will appoint and publicise the specific dates between 13th January 2026 and 9th February 2026 on which Delegates’ Conferences shall be held for the election of Representatives of Special Interest Groups (Older Persons, Persons with Disabilities, Workers, Youth, and the UPDF).

The Commission will, in due course, issue detailed information regarding the polling process and related procedures.
 
F. Conclusion 

The Commission calls on all participants, agents, supporters, and the general public to uphold the values of peace, dignity, and mutual respect throughout the nomination process, and the upcoming campaign period, for peaceful elections in our country.