2026 General Election: Electoral Commission reschedules nomination dates

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The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced new dates for the nomination of local government and parliamentary candidates for the 2026 General Election.

Candidates for district/city (chairpersons, lord mayor and councillors) will be nominated between September 8 to September 10, 2025, at the office of the respective district/city returning officer.

Nomination of candidates for all levels of local government, including special interest groups (youths, persons with disabilities and older persons) had initially been scheduled to commence on September 3, 2025 and end on September 12, 2025.

Justice Simon Byabakama, the EC chairperson, told a press conference in Kampala on Thursday (August 7) that the nomination exercise had to be disaggregated in order “to do things in a smart way”.  

The nomination of candidates for sub-county/town/municipal divisions (chairpersons and councillors) will be conducted between September 11 and September 24, 2025, excluding the weekend, at the respective county headquarters.

The nomination forms and guidelines for district councillors, municipal councillors and sub-county councillors' elections will be collected from the respective district/city EC office, starting on August 11, 2025.

Byabakama also said the nomination forms for district chairpersons’ elections will be accessed for downloading from the EC website https://www.ec.or.ug, starting on August 11, 2025

Parliamentary nominations

The EC also adjusted the nomination of candidates for parliamentary elections, including special interest groups, which was earlier scheduled to be conducted from September 16 and end on September 17, 2025.

The nominations will now take place on October 15 and October 16, 2025, at the office of the respective district/city returning officer.

The nomination forms and guidelines for parliamentary elections will be accessed for downloading from the EC website: www.ec.or.ug starting also on August 11, 2025.

Presidential

The EC designated the period for collecting nomination forms, supporter forms and nomination guidelines for Presidential elections from August 11 to September 24, 2025.

During this period, Presidential aspirants will collect nomination forms, supporter forms, which are to be used for collecting signatures of not less than one hundred (100) registered voters from at least two-thirds of all districts in Uganda, and guidelines for nomination and related activities.

“Please note that the collection of these forms and guidelines will be done physically at the Electoral Commission head offices, located on Plot 1-3 and 5, 7th Street Industrial Area, Kampala, from 8:00 am until 5:00pm on each weekday,” the EC boss said.

He noted that the physical collection is to allow the EC to identify and document presidential aspirants, and notify relevant authorities across the country to expect them in the field and offer them support, as may be necessary.

“An individual intending to collect nomination forms and supporter forms on behalf of a political party/organisation must present written proof of authorisation. This authorisation must be issued by the secretary general of the political party/organisation or a designated official,” Byabakama said.

Likewise, aspirants intending to contest as independents and seeking to collect nomination and supporter forms must present proof of registration as voters, he added.

The EC boss used his speech to thank all stakeholders in the electoral process for the support they have given to the implementation of the roadmap so far.

“The commission particularly appreciates the voters who fall under the special interest groups for their participation in the ongoing electoral programme for the election of special interest groups committees from the village to the national level,” he said.

He called on all stakeholders to take note of the remaining and ongoing activities on the roadmap and to participate in the respective activities following the guidelines for the elections.

The nomination dates for presidential candidates were not adjusted: September 23-24 this year.