Rwanda: End of parliamentary election campaign

Its the end of the campaign period for the legislative and local elections in Rwanda.

More than 7.1 million voters are expected to choose their new members of parliament..

Some 365 candidates registered from five political parties and a few independents are competing in the election. The parliament of Rwanda consists of two chambers; the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. This year Rwandans will vote for deputies for another 5-year term.

For the first day of voting this Sunday, only Rwandans from abroad are called to vote.

As of Monday, Rwandans from within will appoint 53 deputies, at least 30% of whom will be women out of 80 in the lower house of the Rwandan Parliament.

The rest of the 27 deputies will be elected on Tuesday by specific groups: the disabled, the youth and women’s organizations, which must choose 24 women representatives, as provided by the 2003 Constitution.

AFP