The proposed revision of the Constitution of Rwanda, which was originally enacted in 2003 and revised in 2015, suggests conducting the election of Deputies on the same day as the Presidential election.
The objective of this proposed change is to streamline the election process and reduce the time and cost associated with organising separate elections.
The proposal will now undergo analysis by the Conference of Chairpersons, which includes the Bureau of Standing Committees and the Bureau of the Lower House, before it is put to a vote by the plenary sitting.
The synchronisation of both presidential and parliamentary elections is common in many countries globally where the term of office of the President and that of lawmakers are equal.
The draft revision seeks to amend article 75 of the Constitution, which talks about the composition of the Chamber of Deputies and the election of its members. It proposes that the election of 53 Deputies be done on the same day as the election of the President of the Republic.
To ensure that synchronisation of the election of Deputies with the election of the President due in 2024 does not result in a lack of legislature, the Constitution is supplemented with a new transitional provision.
This provides that current Deputies in office at the time this revised Constitution comes into force will continue to serve until the day of the dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies due to elections.
The next election of deputies in Rwanda was due in August 2023, while that of the President of the Republic is due in 2024.
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