Seven political parties have been registered and four has so far confirmed they are ready to take on the RPF in the polls the national electoral commission (NEC) scheduled for September. They include the liberal parties (PL), The social democratic party, (PSD), The Democratic Green party of Rwanda (DGPR) and the RPF. The other seven political parties are said to in talks with RPF.
The democratic union of Rwandese people (UDPR) party seeking also a coalition with RPF inkotanyi, says, they have encouraged their members to vote for RPF in forthcoming parliamentary elections whether RPF accepts the UDPR proposal or not.
Pierre Nzeyimana, The chairperson said UDPR and RPF already have ‘mutual collaboration’. He added that the party executive council has already communicated the decision to members.
Based on the RPF and its Chairman Paul Kagame’s Vision to promote youth, we want to combine efforts in youth promotion since our party is dominated by young people. We want their active participation in national reconstruction efforts”
The party has already named four flag bearers, two men and two women.
The process is the manifestation of democracy
Members of RPF-Inkotanyi already started primaries in order to get the party’s candidates in the forthcoming parliamentary election scheduled to take place on September 2-3, 2018.
The process started on the cell level where party members will nominate two candidates of their choice.
According to a statement from the RPF headquarters, the process is a manifestation of democracy, one of the founding pillars of the RPF, which is the ruling party.
“The process provides opportunity for all party members to contest and be elected as it is their right. Those who will go on to win (come September) will work in the general interest of all Rwandans,” said Aimable Havugiyaremye, the RPF Commissioner in charge of elections.
By implication, RPF Inkotanyi must have 120 parliamentary candidates contesting, going by the number of districts in the country.
During the elections, fifty-three members of the Lower House has to be picked through universal suffrage, while 27 slots are reserved for special interest groups and candidates under this category will be voted for through electoral colleges.
The special interest groups are women (24 seats), youth (two seats) and persons living with disabilities (one seat).
The 3rd Parliament which was elected in 2013 handed women an overwhelming majority in Rwanda’s Parliament, an unprecedented 64 per cent of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
Out of the 53 directly contested seats, the RPF-led coalition took 41 seats.
Article 75 Section 4 of the Constitution states that At least thirty percent (30%) of deputies must be women.
Article 65 of the guiding principles of members of Parliament states that “every member of Parliament represents the nation as a whole and not only those who elected or nominated him or her, or the political organisation which seconded his or her candidacy during elections.”
The revised constitution in its Article 76 provides that deputies are elected to a five-year (5) term and they may be re-elected to additional terms.
The Express News