| Rwanda |
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Politics of Rwanda takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Rwanda is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. On 5 May 1995, the Transitional National Assembly adopted a new constitution which included elements of the constitution of 18 June 1991 as well as provisions of the 1993 Arusha peace accord and the November 1994 multiparty protocol of understanding.
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After its military victory in July 1994, the Rwandese Patriotic Front organized a coalition government similar to that established by President Juvénal Habyarimana in 1992. Called The Broad Based Government of National Unity, its fundamental law is based on a combination of the constitution, the Arusha accords, and political declarations by the parties. The MRND party was outlawed.
Political organizing was banned until 2003. The first post-war presidential and legislative elections were held in August and September 2003, respectively.
The biggest problems facing the government are reintegration of more than 2 million refugees returning from as long ago as 1959; the end of the insurgency and counter-insurgency among ex-military and Interahamwe militia and the Rwandan Patriotic Army, which is concentrated in the north and south west; and the shift away from crisis to medium- and long-term development planning. The prison population will continue to be an urgent problem for the foreseeable future, having swelled to more than 100,000 in the 3 years after the war. Trying this many suspects of genocide will tax Rwanda's resources sorely.
The current government prohibits any form of discrimination by gender, ethnicity, race or religion. The government has also passed laws prohibiting emphasis on Hutu or Tutsi identity in most types of political activity.
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Paul Kagame | Rwandese Patriotic Front | 24 March 2000 |
| Prime Minister | Pierre Habumuremyi | Democratic Republican Movement | 7 October 2011 |
The President of Rwanda is elected for a seven-year term by the people. The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers are appointed by the president
The Parliament (Inteko Ishinga Amategeko or Parlement) has two chambers. The Chamber of Deputies (Umutwe w'Abadepite/Chambre des Députés) has 80 members, 53 of them elected for a five-year term by proportional representation with a 5 % burden, 24 (female members) elected by provincial councils, 2 by the National Youth Council and 1 by the Federation of the Associations of the Disabled. The Senate (Umutwe wa Sena or Sénat) has 26 members elected or appointed for an eight-year term: 12 elected by provincial and sectoral councils, 8 appointed by the president to ensure the representation of historically marginalized communities, 4 by the Forum of political formations and 2 elected by the staff of the universities. Additional former presidents can request to be member of the senate. Rwanda is a one party dominant state with the Rwanda Patriotic Front in power. Opposition parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power.
| Candidates – Parties | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Kagame – Rwandan Patriotic Front | 4,638,560 | 93.08 |
| Jean Damascene Ntawukuriryayo – Social Democratic Party | 256,488 | 5.15 |
| Prosper Higiro – Liberal Party | 68,235 | 1.37 |
| Alvera Mukabaramba – Party for Progress and Concord | 20,107 | 0.40 |
| Total valid votes | 4,983,390 | 100.0 |
| Invalid/Blank votes | ||
| Total votes | ||
| Registered voters | 5,178,492 | |
| Source: National Electoral Commission of Rwanda (PDF) | ||
| Parties | Votes | % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coalition | Rwandese Patriotic Front (Front patriotique rwandais) | 3,655,956 | 78.76 | 42 |
| Christian Democratic Party (Parti démocratique chrêtien) | ||||
| Islamic Democratic Party (Parti démocratique islamique) | ||||
| Rwandese Socialist Party (Parti socialiste rwandais) | ||||
| Prosperity and Solidarity Party (Parti de la Solidarité et du Progrès) | ||||
| Party for Progress and Concord (Parti du Progrès et de la Concorde ) | ||||
| Democratic Union of the Rwandese People (Union démocratique du People rwandais) | ||||
| Social Democratic Party (Parti social démocrate) | 609,327 | 13.12 | 7 | |
| Liberal Party (Parti libéral) | 348,186 | 7.5 | 4 | |
| Harelimana J.M.V. | 27,848 | 0.6 | — | |
| Women's representatives | — | 24 | ||
| Youth representatives | — | 2 | ||
| Disabled representatives | — | 1 | ||
| Valid votes | 4,641,317 | 98.8 | ||
| Invalid votes | 56,372 | 1.2 | ||
| Total (turnout 98.5 %) | 4,697,689 | 100.0 | 80 | |
| Source: CNE | ||||
The Supreme Court of Rwanda is the highest judicial power in Rwanda. It and the High Council of the Judiciary oversee the courts of lower ordinary jurisdictions and courts of the special jurisdictions in Rwanda.
Rwanda has 5 provinces: Kigali Province, Northern Province, Eastern Province, Southern Province and Western Province.
Rwanda is member of ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Rwanda joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 2009, making the country one of only two in the Commonwealth without a British colonial past[1]; the other being the former Portuguese colony Mozambique.
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