Rwanda’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) will start receiving Tuesday all applications for candidates wishing to compete in September’s senatorial elections, an official source confirmed Monday in Kigali.
According to the Rwandan Constitution and all electoral laws and instructions, prospective candidates are required to present a dossier with confirmation of Rwandan nationality with at least 40 years old and above, a certificate of criminal record, proving that the candidate has not been convicted for more than 6 months, and being widely accepted in society as a wise and upright person.
The Chairman of NEC, Prof. Kalisa Mbanda told a news briefing in Kigali that prospective candidates submitting their bids to the commission between 22 July and 9 August, while campaigns will run from 27 August through 15 September.
Campaigns for the qualified candidates will officially begin on 27 August and end on 15 September, just a day before the elections.
The Senate is made up of 26 members – including 12 members who represent the country’s four provinces and the City of Kigali and are picked through electoral colleges – and eight senators appointed by the President of the Republic.
Four senators are designated by the Consultative Forum of Political Organisations, one senator represents public universities and higher learning institutions, while another one is picked from private universities and institutions of higher learning.
Of the 12 elected senators who represent the country’s four provinces and the City of Kigali, one senator is elected from the City of Kigali, two senators come from the Northern Province, while the rest of the three provinces elect three senators each.
The deadline to announce elected senators is on 30 September 2019, the Rwandan electoral official said.
It is estimated that about 200 million Rwandan Franc (About $223,000 USD) will be allocated to organise the upcoming elections, according to the NEC.
CU/as/APA