Politics of Rwanda


The Republic of Rwanda is politically a de facto one-party republic governed by the Rwandan Patriotic Front and its leader, Paul Kagame, who was formally elected in 2000, since the RPF played the primary role in ending the 1994 genocide. Although Rwanda is nominally democratic, elections are manipulated in various ways, which include banning opposition parties, arresting or assassinating critics, and electoral fraud.
Rwandan legislation has developed from Belgian and German civil law systems, with the country's customary law taking place in a framework of a semi-presidential republic, whereby the president of Rwanda serves as the head of state, possessing significant executive power, together with the prime minister of Rwanda serving as the constitutional head of 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 that incorporates elements of the 18 June 1991 constitution as well as provisions of the 1993 Arusha Accords and the November 1994 multiparty protocol of understanding.

National legislature

In Rwanda, the Chamber of Deputies is composed of eighty Deputies. Among them, fifty-three Deputies are elected by direct universal suffrage in secret, from a fixed list of names of candidates proposed by political organizations or independent candidates; twenty-four women are elected by specific electoral colleges in accordance with the national administrative entities; two Deputies are elected by the National Youth Council; one Deputy is elected by the National Council of Persons with Disabilities.
The Senate is composed of twenty-six members. Among them, there are twelve Senators elected by the specific councils in accordance with the administrative entities; eight Senators appointed by the President of the Republic; four Senators designated by the National Forum of Political organizations; one Senator elected among lecturers and researchers of Public Universities and higher learning institutions; and one Senator elected among lecturers and researchers of Private Universities and higher learning institutions.

Historical background

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 banned.
Political organizing was banned until 2003. The first post-genocide presidential and legislative elections were held in August and September 2003, respectively.
The biggest problems facing the government were the 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.
The government prohibits any form of discrimination by gender, ethnicity, race or religion. The government has passed laws prohibiting emphasis on Hutu or Tutsi identity in most types of political activity.

Political-economical focus

From 2005 to 2010. the political headcount ratio on national poverty lines decreased by more than 10 percent, while life expectancy increased to approximately 64 years, which is higher than that of similar Sub-Saharan African countries and other low-income countries.
In 2011, Rwanda's emissions totaled 0.1 metric tons per capita, which was significantly lower than those of similar Sub-Saharan African countries as well as other low income countries. Rwanda's school enrollment rate is much higher than that of similar Sub-Saharan African countries, as well as other low-income countries.
As of 2014, Rwanda was still considered a low-income country with a GDP of $7.890 billion, based on U.S. dollars, with a total population of 11.34 million people.
As of 2015, Rwanda had made a shift towards economic improvement, centralizing its foreign exchange around coffee and tea production, "helping to reduce poverty and inequality." The World Bank has praised Rwanda's efforts.
Kagame has reached out to large companies, such as Costco and Starbucks, which, as of 2015, were the two largest buyers of Rwandan coffee beans.

Branches

Executive

Legislative

The Parliament has two chambers. The Chamber of Deputies ' has 80 members, 53 of them elected for a five-year term by proportional representation with a 5% threshold, 24 elected by provincial councils, 2 by the National Youth Council and 1 by the Federation of the Associations of the Disabled. It is the only legislative chamber in the world where women outnumber men.
The Senate ' 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 Rwandan Patriotic Front in power. Opposition parties are allowed, and are represented in Parliament, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power.

Judiciary

The Supreme Court of Rwanda is the highest judicial power in Rwanda. Together with the High Council of the Judiciary, it is responsible for overseeing Rwanda's courts of lower ordinary jurisdictions and courts of the special jurisdictions. The Supreme Court consists of the Court President, Vice President, and 12 judges.
Established in 2001, the Gacaca Court was established by the National Unity Government to try cases of genocide against the Tutsis.
Moreover, judges are nominated by the president of the republic, after consulting with the Cabinet and the Superior Council of the Judiciary. Afterwards, they must receive the Senate's approval. The court president and vice president are appointed for 8-year nonrenewable terms.
Regarding the legal profession, although the Rwanda Bar Association has been in existence and operational since at least 1997, there has been a lack of clear indications as to how certain demographic groups, such as women, have fared in the legal field.

Current Presidential Overview

The current president of Rwanda is Paul Kagame. The 6th president of Rwanda, he was first elected in 2003. In 2007, the former president, Pasteur Bizimungu, was released from prison on a presidential pardon. Kagame was re-elected in 2010, receiving 93.1 percent of the cast votes. Since taking office, Kagame has raised business, reduced crime and corruption, and attracted many foreign investors.
Additionally, Kagame has not groomed anyone to be his successor, so there is nothing that points to who his successor could or should be.
President Paul Kagame and his Rwandan Patriotic Front are the dominant political forces in Rwanda. There is only one registered opposition party, while many political opponents have fled into exile.
President Kagame received military training in Uganda, Tanzania, and the United States. He was a founding member of current Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni's rebel army in 1979 and headed its intelligence wing, assisting Museveni in taking power in 1986.

Politicians

Political parties and elections

Key ministers