Rwanda

On Monday, 15th June, during a plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies-Rwanda Parliament, two Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, MPs, voted against the law approving the ratification of the agreement between Rwanda and Russia on cooperation in the construction of the Centre of Nuclear Science and Technology on the territory of Rwanda, which was signed in Sochi, on 24th October 2019.

Why did Green Party MPs Vote Against the Nuclear Center law:

Kuri uyu wa Gatanu tariki ya 12 Kamena 2020, Depite Frank Habineza, mu Nteko Nshinga Mategeko, yasabiye abakora umwuga w'ubwarimu ko bashyirirwaho isoko ryihariye (Umwarimu ISOKO) bahahiramo ndetse bakanongerezwa umushahara kuko uwo baherutse kongezwa ntacyo wigeze uzamura kumibereho yabo. Ibi bikozwe byafasha kuzamura Ireme ry’uburezi mu Rwanda.

Ibintu bitatu twasabye:

Parliament Chamber of Deputies has revisited the organic law governing elections to allow the bill to make sense to the current situation four years after the latest review.The law of 2003 revised in 2015, was tabled for approval on July 22. However, it came with the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda raising debate on major changes that will come with the new bill.

The new bill retained that the initiative to call a referendum lies within the ambit of the President of the Republic and a Presidential Order determines the election day of referendum and its purpose.

On July 20 last week, I was invited to engage members of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda on the delicate but important subject of electoral reform, the political and electoral systems, and how to strengthen democratic institutions in the country.

Interestingly, during the question and answer session, the recurrent question asked and commented on by members is “why the Green party hasn’t yet been ‘given’ cabinet and other positions in government yet it’s a constitutional requirement”.