He says, even without an official position, he will keep contributing ideas alongside the elected officials to prove his commitment to serve the country.
Mpayimana and three other independent candidates failed to win 5% votes in the legislative elections held on September 3.
They all scored below 1% while the Constitution requires 5% votes for a party or independent candidate to secure a seat in the parliament.
Mpayimana has told IGIHE that he is not discouraged by the two failures.
He urges the National Electoral Commission to revise the votes required for an independent candidate to win a seat, saying that it is discriminatory for an independent candidate to be required the same 5% votes as a political party which receives two seats upon winning 5%.
The requirement is embedded in the constitution adopted in 2003 and amended in the November 2015 Referendum.
“Laws are made by people and can always change them,” says Mpayimana.
He says he will share with the legislators pledges he made during the campaign, adding that he has no plan to join any political party.
Mpayimana came to Rwanda in 2017 from France where he was serving in a spices factory.
He says he currently has no job and has no plans to go back to France soon.
He plans to do marketing work for some companies and preparing projects for people as a means of earning a living in Rwanda while contributing to politics as well.
In the recent elections, the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) and allied six parties won 74% equivalent to 40 seats out of 53 contested for in the general elections.
Liberal Party (PL) and Social Democratic Party (PSD) respectively won 9% and 7% equivalent to five and four seats.
Two opposition parties, Democratic Green Party of Rwanda (DGPR) and PS-Imberakuri, secured each two seats in the Lower House after winning 5% ballots.
Other 27 seats in the 80-member Lower House are shared by representatives of women, youth and people with disabilities.
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