Several incumbents are likely to bounce back after elections for district mayors due to be conducted today countrywide.

The election of 30 district mayors and their deputies was rescheduled from February 27, as indicated earlier.Moses Bukasa, the National Electoral Commission director of communications said the polls were rescheduled because it was realised that February 27 would not only be a day for monthly community work, Umuganda, but it is also a Saturday when Adventists go to church.

Who is likely to come back?

The list of winners from Monday’s district council poll, published by the National Electoral Commission, sheds some light on who is likely to bounce back as mayor.

The electoral commission’s web site shows winners of Monday’s poll with names of the former mayors who have been elected as councillors.

These stand a chance, again, to be nominated and finally voted by their colleagues as their respective district mayors.

In Gasabo District, Stephen Rwamurangwa garnered 95 per cent votes from Kimironko Sector and, if nominated, could again win the mayoral seat for the next five-year term.

Meanwhile, three former mayors – Aphrodise Nambaje of Ngoma district, Frederic Harerimana of Rusizi District and Aime Fabien Kamali from Nyamasheke District – got 100 per cent votes in Monday’s poll and probably stand a better chance of retaining their seats.

In Gatsibo District, Richard Gasana of Kiramuruzi Sector garnered 92.3 per cent of votes; in Kirehe District, Gerard Muzungu of Mpanga Sector garnered 99.4 per cent of the votes.

In Karongi, Nyaruguru, Huye, Ruhango, Nyamagabe, Rubavu districts as well, outgoing mayors Francois Ndayisaba, Francois Habitegeko, Eugene Kayiranga, Francois Xavier Mbabazi, Philibert Mugisha and Jeremie Sinamenye, respectively, were elected as councilors and thus stand a chance to bounce back as mayors too.

By press time, however, results from Monday’s elections in Burera, Gakenke, Gicumbi, and Musanze districts had not been made public and it was not possible to establish which former mayor in these four areas was likely to make a comeback.

Countrywide, local government elections kicked off on February 8 when every citizen above 18 years of age was expected to vote cell executive committees and councils.

They lined up behind their preferred candidates. Another adult suffrage election was held on Monday when people voted for the district council through the secret ballot.

Out of 2,068 candidates, 853 district councilors were elected across the 2,312 polling centres constituting 16,126 polling stations countrywide.

Mayoral poll process

A district mayor is elected by a district council made up of representatives of all the sectors in the district, representatives of the youth and women in the district, a representative of the private sector in the district, and representatives of people living with disabilities.

All mayors, including that of the City of Kigali, vacated offices on January 29 to pave way for local government elections.

According to NEC officials, their mandates were supposed to end in March as the mayors were elected in March 2011 but they had to vacate office on January 29 to facilitate the ongoing electoral process.

***********************

Kigali: Who will replace Ndayisaba?

Meanwhile, elections for the next City of Kigali mayor will be conducted on Monday February 29 and not early next month as earlier planned by the National Electoral Commission.

Bukasa told The New Times yesterday that there are changes in the electoral calendar such that elections for the city mayor will be held on February 29 instead of March 2.

The secret ballot is the voting method that will be used in the mayoral poll.

Bukasa added: "We have now published the list of all the winners of the elections held on Monday [February 22]. These are the same people who will be candidates as well as voters for the mayor.”

Former mayor of Kigali city Fidèle Ndayisaba is not returning seeing that a cabinet meeting last week appointed him as the new executive secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw