ANT fronts Muntu as joint opposition candidate in 2026 polls

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The race for Uganda’s presidency is taking shape after the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) party fronted its kingpin, Maj. Gen. (rtd) Mugisha Muntu, as a joint opposition candidate in next year’s general election.

This is despite Muntu’s dismal performance in the last general election that saw him garner 67,574 votes (0.65%).

He was nominated on Friday (July 25) as ANT’s presidential flag-bearer for the 2026 general election.

The party said on X, formerly Twitter, that his nomination marked a pivotal milestone in its journey toward transforming Uganda.

However, the post prompted some of its followers to question why it recently entered into a coalition with the newly formed People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), which is led by Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.

In the comments section, ANT explained that while it is in a coalition with PFF, both parties retain the autonomy to conduct their internal processes, including identifying and endorsing candidates at all levels.

“Ultimately, all candidates will undergo a unified process with the goal of agreeing on a single candidate to represent us,” the party said.

“At ANT, we believe every great movement starts with a shared vision and passion,” it said in another reply, while wooing some Ugandans to join it as it works towards “a prosperous and just Uganda”.

Both ANT and PFF were formed by leaders who broke away from the Forum for Democratic Change party, which some helped found in 2004.

On July 2, 2025, the leaders of both parties launched a new political co-operation at a meeting they held at Hotel Africana in Kampala.

PFF acting spokesperson and Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda said that the population wants them to unite as the opposition to cause regime change.

“We are assembled here to witness the birth of a political cooperation which will be preceded by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will commit us to a number of issues our leaders will present to the nation. There is a demand from the population that we need to work together to change the government,” he said.

Ssemujju noted that the leaders of the two parties took different paths after breaking away from FDC to form new parties because of “some disagreements which are part of natural processes”.

He, however, noted that the process of signing an MOU had been smooth due to the many common values and goals the two parties share.

Analysts cast doubt

Analysts say if the opposition were to unite behind a single presidential candidate, which many of them doubt can or will happen, they would certainly give the ruling National Resistance Movement party and President Yoweri Museveni pause for thought.

Given what they see in opposition political parties and in relations among them, however, they will be as fragmented at the next presidential election as they have been in the past.

Dr Frederick Golooba-Mutebi, a political analyst, says that fragmentation is what really damages prospects for any candidate seeking to unseat Museveni to have a good shot at doing so.

The presidential nominations, which were initially scheduled for October 2 and 3, 2025, were recently rescheduled to September 23 and 24 this year. The Electoral Commission said the changes were intended to create sufficient time for key activities that follow the nomination process.