Uganda's past is characterized by bloody dictatorships of Idi Amin and Milton Obote , slaughtering about 800.000 people and driving the middle class into exile.  That kind of internal violence has been stopped under the presidency of Yoweri Museveni.

The special, but disputed feature of Museveni-style democracy is the prohibition of party campaign ("no-party democracy"): All candidates for presidential and parliamentary elections have to campaign as individuals and may only start their campaign when nominated rather than engaging in permanent opposition. This might avoid party-building along ethnic lines, but also results in an unfair electoral advantage of the current president.

Uganda faces violence by terrorist acts of the Lord's Resistance Army in the northern region.