NEC Chairperson Oda Gasinzigwa, receives files from PSD Secretary General, Dr. Chrysostome Ngabitsinze at NEC Headquarters on Monday. Courtesy Photos.
Prospective candidates for the forthcoming Presidential and Parliamentary Elections on Monday continued to submit their requirements to the National Electoral Commission (NEC), for the second day of an exercise which kicked off last Friday, starting with President Paul Kagame, who submitted his candidature as the flag-bearer for the ruling party, RPF-Inkotanyi.
Among those that submitted their credentials on Monday include political parties, independent contestants and prospective candidates seeking to represent women, youth and Persons with Disabilities, among other interest groups.
The Social Democratic Party (PSD) submitted a list of 66 names of prospective Parliamentary candidates, including 29 females, while the party unanimously decided to back President Kagame in the Presidential polls.
Speaking on behalf of the party, Dr. Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, said that the names were arrived at after a countrywide exercise, bringing together party members from all corners of the country.
“As a party, we have submitted a list of people and requirements to take part in the forthcoming Parliamentary polls. We have a list of 66 people selected at the party level, including 29 women. In the Presidential elections, our decision was to back the incumbent for continuity and consolidating the progress we have registered as a country,” Dr. Ngabitsinze said.
NEC started receiving candidatures on Friday last week.
Dr. Ngabitsinze, who is the Secretary General of the party, considered the second biggest party in the country in terms of the representation, said that their wish is to continue making their contribution to nation building through parliament and other positions.
Asked why they chose to support the RPF flagbearer rather than fronting their own candidate as they did in the past, Dr. Ngabitsinze, who also doubles as the Minister of Trade and Industry, said that their decision was unanimous and consensual and reaffirmed their support for the path the country is taking in terms of development and social cohesion.
On the same day, NEC received candidates seeking to compete in the parliamentary polls, including independent candidates, who are required to raise 600 signatures from across the country, with at least 12 from each of the 30 districts of the country. Independent candidates are expected to garner at least 5 percent of the vote.
Angélique Nyirabazayire, who has been a member of Parliament as a Women rep, presents her credentials to NEC.
Jean Nepomuscene Dusingizimana, an independent candidate seeking to get a seat in parliament, said that getting the 600 signatures was not an easy fit but he is confident that he will be able to get the necessary votes to get him to Parliament.
“Coming here and delivering my credentials, regardless of whether I belong to any party and the manner in which I was welcomed by the National Electoral Commission goes to show that every Rwandan has a right to compete in the elections,”
“As a young person, I believe this is a great opportunity for me to compete. I will go out and share my plans with Rwandans if I make it to the list and I will ask them that after voting President Kagame for Presidency, they vote me as their representative in Parliament,” the 35-year prospective parliamentary candidate said.
The Chairperson of NEC, Oda Gasinzigwa, told the prospective candidates that NEC receiving their requirements doesn’t mean that they have been confirmed as candidates. The electoral body will scrutinize their submissions to verify if they fulfil all of them before adding them to the list which will be published on June 6.
Some of the individuals who did not fulfil all the requirements, such as Emmanuel Ndejuru, an independent candidate who didn’t have all the required documents, was sent back to look for the missing documents. The exercise which started on May 17 will close on May 30.
In the afternoon, the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda (DGPR), was expected to submit its proposed candidates for the Presidential election and prospective members of Parliament.
Olive Uwamurera submitted her credentials to represent women.
Françoise Mukandekezi submitted her candidature to represent women in Parliament.
Linda Kamugisha is looking to represent the youth.
Nyirabazayire says that she is looking to continue in the next parliament to pick up from where they stopped.
